


Carry You with Me

by AmberFrog



Series: The Dove and the Lion [1]
Category: The Hobbit (Jackson Movies), The Hobbit - All Media Types, The Hobbit - J. R. R. Tolkien
Genre: Dwarf/Human Marriage, F/M, Fili/OFC - Freeform, Fluff, Going by the Extended Edition, Humor, Original Female Character - Freeform, Romance, There are songs from the movie here, Though I may change some things and go by the book at certain times, Very Short Human, Working on some angst, dwarfling
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-12-05
Updated: 2014-05-22
Packaged: 2018-01-03 14:11:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 10
Words: 34,341
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1071385
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AmberFrog/pseuds/AmberFrog
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Bilbo and the Dwarves are on their way to reclaim Erebor...with an additional companion. She was Fili's wife, and by Mahal, she refused to be left behind! So Anwynn trudges along with them, through Hobbiton and Trolls, Rivendell and the Misty Mountains. Little do any of them know, she's bringing someone else along for the ride...</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I've had this idea in my head since I saw the midnight premiere of the first movie last year and I had to write it out. I started this back in January, but I didn't want to post it until I watched the extended edition and could put any extra bits in. So be warned, if you have not yet seen the extended edition, there might be spoilers in here. I also follow the dialogue in the movie closely, apologies if that bothers anyone.  
> I own nothing, it all belongs to JRR Tolkien, Peter Jackson, the actors, you get the idea.  
> Enjoy!

 

The party of three made their way through the little hills of Hobbiton, looking for one particular door with one particular mark. They searched high and low, until they came upon a round green door with a mark on the side. This was it.

The eldest of the little group reached out his hand and knocked on the door. They heard footsteps from inside, and then the door swung open. In front of them was a little man with large feet wearing a very homely dressing gown. At the sight of the three, he gave a little noise somewhere between a grumble and a whimper.

The oldest two of the group stepped up. “Fili,” said one. “And Kili,” said the other. Then together, “At your service.” The youngest of the trio stepped forward.

“And I’m Anwynn,” she said, dipping her head. “Also at your service.”

“You must be Mr. Boggins!” said Kili, smiling.

“Nope. You can’t come in,” said the little man, Bilbo Baggins. “You’ve come to the wrong house.” He tried to close the door, but Kili put his hand out and caught it.

“What?” he asked. “Has it been cancelled?”

“No one told us,” said his brother, eyes narrowing suspiciously.

“Can—No, nothing’s been cancelled,” answered Bilbo, perplexed.

“That’s a relief!” said Kili, pushing his way into the little hobbit hole and dropping his weapons on the floor. His brother came striding in after him, inspecting the place. Anwynn came in last, smiling apologetically at Mr. Baggins; it seemed he was not expecting company tonight.

Fili turned to Mr. Baggins and began to unload his weapons. He started with his large sword, thrusting it into the hobbit’s arms. “Careful with these, I just had them sharpened.” Knives and daggers began appearing from everywhere, including his boots. Anwynn decided to be somewhat more polite than her companions; she removed her two long knives and sword from her back and set them in the corner. She piled her various daggers and knives on top of them until she was completely unarmed; they would be amongst friends tonight, no need for weapons.

As Fili and Anwynn had been disarming, Kili had strode farther inside the little home. “It’s nice, this place,” he said. “Did you do it yourself?” And began wiping his boot on an old chest.

“No, it’s been in the family for years,” said Bilbo, distracted by Fili and his weapons. He noticed Kili desecrating the chest and said, “That’s my mother’s glory box. Can you please not do that?”

A large dwarf came into the room. “Fili, Kili, come on. Give us a hand.” He grabbed Kili’s arm and led him away into the dining room.

“Mister Dwalin!” cried Kili, smiling widely and laughing. It had been a very long time since the younger dwarf had seen the other. He seemed to have added a few more tattoos to his bald head since then. Fili and Anwynn followed them into the dining room where they met with the white-headed Balin. Anwynn clasped the old dwarf’s shoulder warmly; she had always had a special place in her heart for Balin. He was the one who helped make her present a possibility.

Balin smiled warmly at the girl, and then turned back to the two younger dwarves. “Let’s shove this in the hall,” he said, indicating the dining table. “Otherwise we’ll never get everyone in.”

“Everyone? How many more are there?” asked Bilbo, who had followed them into the dining room, his arms still full of Fili’s weapons. He sounded a bit hysterical. All in the dining room ignored him as they tried to move the table. “Where do you want this?” asked Kili. Bilbo abandoned his questions when his doorbell rang again and traipsed off to answer it.

“There’s nobody home!” Anwynn heard him shout. “Go away and bother somebody else! There’s far too many dwarves in my dining room as it is. I-if this is some clot-head’s idea of a joke,” he gave a small hysterical giggle, “I can only say it is in _very_ poor taste!”

And with that he opened the door. There was a large _thump_ and a lot of mutters and groaning; eight dwarves had fallen through the front door. As they disentangled themselves, Gandalf the Grey stepped in over them, careful not to hit his head in the low ceiling.

Not long after, Bilbo’s house was filled with activity, mainly all in the preparation of food. And Bilbo Baggins did not seem at all to like this.

“Put that back. Put that back! Not the jam, please! Excuse me. Excuse me…” The poor little Hobbit pulled at his braces while trying fruitlessly to order the Dwarves to leave his home alone.

“Tad excessive, isn’t it?” he asked as Bombur, a rather rotund Dwarf, made off with three wheels of cheese. “Have you got a cheese knife?”

“Cheese knife?” Bombur’s brother Bofur, a jolly sort of fellow, answered. “He eats it by the block!”

Anwynn made her way over as Bilbo was telling off old Oin for moving a chair. Here she found the little group she had arrived with: her husband Fili and his younger brother Kili. They were attempting to open a barrel of ale. Basically, they were giving the barrel really nasty looks and making exasperated motions.

  _Bless them_ , Anwynn thought. _They are precious when they’re stupid_. She had to giggle when she saw the boys give up and haul the barrel into the dining room for Dwalin to muscle open.

From there it was a scramble to find a place at the table, and when she did, Anwynn felt a bit uncharacteristically hot and claustrophobic. She was in between Kili and Ori, and was suddenly finding it very hard to breathe. She found herself a bit dizzy as the other Dwarves cheered when Bombur caught an egg in his mouth. This sudden wooziness troubled her, but she just chalked it up to the heat in the very crowded dining room and the layers of clothes she was wearing. She took a few gulping breaths and sorted herself out in time to look up and find her husband walking down the table, handing out ales. Anwynn knew that Dwarves did not have the best table manners and was used to this sort of behavior, but she did still wince when she thought of what all this ruckus was doing to poor Mister Bilbo.

“Who wants an ale?” Fili called out, ducking low as he walked.

“Over here, brother!” yelled Kili, reaching out for one of the tankards. Fili tried to hand one to Anwynn with a knowing smile; everyone was aware of how much she liked her ale. However, Anwynn had to refuse.

“No thank you, love,” she said quietly with a small smile. “I’ll pass. I think I’ll just have a glass of water; haven’t been feeling too well lately.”

Fili gave her a concerned nod, but moved on and hopped off the table.

“Ale on the count of three!” Bofur yelled, and on two all the Dwarves raised their tankards to their mouths and chugged. Next came a round of belching, with Ori surprising everyone.

“I knew you had it in ya!” cried Bofur while Ori’s brother Nori clapped proudly. Anwynn patted the lad on the back with a smile. “Nice one, Little Ori!” Ori just grinned.

Fili returned shortly after with a glass of water. Setting it down in front of Anwynn, he crouched down beside her.

“Are you alright?” he asked, looking at her worriedly.

“Yes, I’m fine,” she answered, taking a sip from the glass. “Thank you.”

“You’re sure?” Fili laid a hand on her arm, giving it a small squeeze.

“Yes, I’m alright,” said Anwynn. “It’s nothing. Probably just excitement and nerves doing funny things to my stomach. I’ll be right as rain in time.” She gave him a bright smile, hoping what she said was true.

Fili returned the smile hesitantly, but did not ask her about it again. Instead he grabbed plates for them both and began to scavenge for what food he could lay his hands on.

As dinner was winding down, the Dwarves started about clearing the table. Anwynn, who had noticed that their host had not been able to catch even a crumb, managed to sneak away three sausages, a small slice of bread, and a little hunk of cheese. It was not much, but with how much Dwarves usually eat, it was lucky to have survived. She found her way over to Bilbo, who was still standing in his pantry, staring vacantly at the shelves.

“Here you are, Mister Bilbo,” she said softly, hoping not to scare the little man. He jumped anyway.

“Huh?” he murmured, turning around.

“A bit of supper for you, since I saw you didn’t get anything. It’s not much, I’m sorry.” She handed over the plate to the Hobbit.

Bilbo stared down at the plate. “Thank you,” he said faintly, and began to nibble distractedly at the bread. Anwynn gave the poor fellow a sympathetic smile and went off to find her husband and his brother.

Bilbo seemed to recover from his shock later, and after having words with Nori and Bofur about his doily (Anwynn had to appreciate Bofur’s “if you’ve got the balls for it” comment), he found himself shouting hysterically at Gandalf about how the Dwarves had messed up his plumbing.

While the other Dwarves were busy cleaning up, lighting pipes, and tormenting their host, Fili pulled Anwynn aside into a little out-of-the-way corner.

“Are you sure you’re alright?” he asked, eyebrows raised and knitted in concern. In the years he had known her, she had never had more than a case of the sniffles. She just did not get sick.

“I am alright,” said Anwynn, annunciating each word. “I’ll be fine. It’s just nerves and excitement. And the heat in the dining room probably didn’t help. All these layers.” She gave Fili a small scowl.

“You already don’t look very Dwarven,” said Fili seriously. “All the layers are to disguise you. And all your curves. I’ll not have anyone centering you out because you look like a woman. Besides, you’ll be thankful for all those layers when we’re out on the road. All the warmth you can get.”

“Be that as it may,” said Anwynn, rolling her eyes somewhat childishly, “it is probably the reason for my feeling ill. Don’t worry, it’s probably nothing more than that. Once I’ve had time to cool off and wrap my head around the fact that we’re actually going, I’ll be fine.” She took his hand and gently squeezed it, giving him a reassuring smile. “Now, why don’t you go and have a little fun? You haven’t seen everyone in a long time, join in the revelry while there’s still joy to be had!”

At just that moment, they heard Ori wander up to their host and ask where he should put his plate. Fili gave Anwynn a sly grin and a wink, then hurried off to cause havoc.

“Excuse me. I’m sorry to interrupt, but where should I put my plate?” Ori asked in his polite manner.

“Here you go, Ori. Give it to me,” said Fili, appearing from around the corner. He took the plate and flung it at Kili, who had just stepped out of the kitchen. He looked up in time to catch the plate flying at his head and throw it at Bifur, who was standing ready at the sink. From there, the Dwarves broke loose, and Bilbo almost had a heart attack.

“ _Blunt the knives and bend the forks,_

_Smash the bottles and burn the corks._

_Chip the glasses and crack the plates,_

_That’s what Bilbo Baggins hates!_

_Cut the cloth, tread on the fat,_

_Leave the bones on the bedroom mat._

_Pour the milk on the pantry floor,_

_Splash the wine on every door!_

_Dump the crocks in a boiling bowl,_

_Pound them up with a thumping pole._

_When you’re finished, id they are whole,_

_Send them down the hall to roll!_

_That’s what Bilbo Baggins hates!”_

But it was alright in the end, when all the dishes were clean and remarkably whole. Bilbo’s face was a mixture of amazement, cross, and relief. The Dwarves all had to laugh at his reaction, and even Anwynn found herself giggling. The moment passed, however, when there was a heavy knock at the door. Gandalf was the first to speak.

“He is here.”

The round green door was opened to reveal Thorin Oakenshield, their King and leader.

“Gandalf. I thought you said this place would be easy to find. I lost my way. Twice.”

Beside her, Anwynn felt Fili shake with the effort not to laugh. His uncle was always so stoic and royal, he and his brother found it hilarious when Thorin admitted he had a fault. He recovered himself, however; he was Thorin’s heir after all. He had to be mature. Next to him, Kili let out a snort. Kili had no such requirement.

After insulting the Hobbit (and at this point in the evening, Anwynn had the greatest of pity for Bilbo; his home had been invaded, all his food had been eaten, and now he was insulted in his own doorway) the Company moved back into the dining room. Anwynn took a seat between Fili and Kili at the far end of the table.

As Bilbo fixed and served Thorin a bowl of soup (the very last of his larder), Thorin shared with everyone that the meeting in Ered Luin had been a failure. Dain would not send men to help them.

“He says this quest is ours, and ours alone,” said Thorin to a disappointed table.

“You’re going on a quest?” asked Bilbo, standing timidly in the doorway.

“Bilbo, my dear fellow, let us have a little more light,” said Gandalf. Bilbo hurried to light a candle as Gandalf reached into his robes and pulled out a roll of paper. “Far to the East, over river and ranges, beyond woodlands and wastelands, lies a single solitary peak.”

“The Lonely Mountain,” supplied Bilbo, reading the map between Gandalf and Thorin.

Gloin sat up straighter. “Aye. Oin has read the portents, and the portents say _it is time_.”

Anwynn saw Dori roll his eyes at this, and felt his exasperation. While Oin was a very good Healer, his meddling with divination was a bit shaky; according to him, she and Fili should be three children in by now. Clearly, they were still childless.

“Ravens have been seen flying back to the mountain as it was foretold,” Oin explained. “When the birds of yore return to Erebor, the reign of the beast will end.”

Bilbo seemed to peak up at that. “Uh, what beast?”

“Well that would be a reference to Smaug the Terrible, chiefest and greatest calamity of our age,” volunteered Bofur, taking his pipe from his mouth. “Airborne fire-breather, teeth like razors, claws like meathooks, extremely fond of precious metals.”

Anwynn could not help but shiver. Ever since she had come to live with the Dwarves, she had heard the stories. How Erebor was lost when the dragon Smaug burned down the town of Dale and took the mountain for himself. Thorin had been a prince of Erebor at the time, and had every right to be bitter. Because of Smaug he had lost his kingdom and home, as well as his grandfather, father, and younger brother. He had been forced to lead the refugees of Erebor into the Blue Mountains and establish a settlement there. He never went into much detail about the journey between and the battles they fought, but it was obvious he wished nothing more than for Smaug to never have set upon Erebor.

Balin was now trying to impress upon the other Dwarves the seriousness of their quest.

“The task would be difficult enough with an army behind us,” he said, looking around, trying to meet everyone’s eye. “But we number just thirteen. And not thirteen of the best, nor brightest.”

The other Dwarves all grumbled at the insult, including Kili.

“Hey, who are you calling dim?” Anwynn heard him mutter. She could not help but think back a few hours ago to the ale barrel. On her other side, she heard Fili speak up.

“We may be few in numbers, but we’re fighters. All of us. To the last Dwarf!”

The other Dwarves burst out in agreement, and Fili gave his trademark accomplished smirk, then nodded towards his Uncle Thorin. Fili had a natural way with words.

Excited by his brother’s words, Kili piped up. “And you forget, we have a _wizard_ in our Company! Gandalf will have killed _hundreds_ of dragons in his time!” He looked positively giddy.

Gandalf, however, choked on his pipe smoke. His discomfort was obvious, and only became more so as the other Dwarves heckled him for a number. The heckling quickly became a full-scale argument, complete with shouting and pounding of the table. Just when Anwynn thought she might have to duck out of the room for her own safety (she might be strong, but her strength was nothing compared to even one of her companions), Thorin shouted out above everyone else. Anwynn listened to Thorin in awe as he spoke of reclaiming what they had lost when Smaug attacked. At the end of this rousing speech, she cheered as loud as the others, even though she was not a Dwarf, let alone a descendant of Erebor.

As the meeting went on, the Company was informed that Thorin’s father was indeed dead but had passed along a key to Gandalf before he died, which now belonged to Thorin. It would open a secret door on the side of the mountain, as the front gate was sealed. Gandalf also proposed that Mister Bilbo Baggins was just the burglar they would need to find this door and deal with the dragon on the other side. The Hobbit protested, but accepted the contract and read it over. He seemed to balk when he came across words such as “lacerations,” “eviscerations,” and “incineration.” He appeared to lose all his strength when Bofur began describing gruesome deaths at the hands of a dragon, and altogether fainted at “Flash of light, searing pain, then poof! You’re nothing more than I pile of ash!”

Anwynn would remember later to give the miner a sharp swat to the back of the head.

Fili and Gloin helped Bilbo into an arm chair by the fire while Anwynn made him a cup of tea, and then they left him to hash things out with Gandalf.

Fili and Kili joined Anwynn again outside the dining room where she was leaning against a wall.

“And what are you up to?” asked Kili, giving her a playful smile while searching around in his pack.

“Nothing,” replied Anwynn, trying not to sigh as she spoke. “Just here. Resting.” She saw Fili’s concerned look and headed him off. “It’s a lot, all this. Just trying to take it all in. What are you two doing, then?”

“We are intent on a little smoke,” answered Kili, pulling his pipe victoriously from his pack and standing. “Care to join us?”

Anwynn could feel her stomach rise at the mere thought. “Ah, no. I think not. But I’ll keep you company. Would you mind if we all went outside? I’d like some air.”

Now Kili looked as concerned as his brother. “You feeling okay?” he asked.

“Yeah, fine,” she lied, not looking at Fili. “It’s just that thirteen Dwarves in a small space just after supper does not make for a very pleasant smell.” And with that, she made for the odd circular door, ignoring the feel of Fili’s eyes on her back.

Outside, Anwynn took a seat on Bilbo’s little bench while the boys stood off to either side of her.

“So, we’re going then,” said Kili, breaking the silence as he lit his pipe, then passed the flame to his brother.

“Seems so,” answered Fili nonchalantly. “We have our burglar, we have our Company, and we have a way in.”

“Now with a lot of luck, we just might actually make it,” said Anwynn, tipping her head and looking at the stars. They were magnificent in this quiet sleepy Shire. It was hard to imagine the dangers that lay ahead of them while sitting in this lovely little place.

Both boys hummed their agreement and went about puffing their pipes. Anwynn caught a whiff of the smoke and felt her stomach turn. While she was not very fond of the pipe, she at least smoked it for social reasons and she had never had this reaction to it before.

 _It’s nothing_ , she thought. _Just tired from a long journey and overstimulated by the noise and food. That’s all. A good night’s sleep and I’ll be fine,_ she tried to convince herself. She tried to push out of her mind the fact that she had felt off at night for going on a month or so now. _Nothing, just excitement and nerves. That’s all._ She took in another deep breath of air and felt herself calm.

“I hear some singing is about to start,” said Fili. And indeed, Anwynn heard a deep humming that could only belong to Thorin Oakenshield. She felt a thrill run through her; humming meant singing, and she loved it when Dwarves sang. There was something altogether different about how they sang compared to Men.

Fili and Kili traipsed up and into the door, Anwynn following. They made their way into Bilbo’s little sitting room where they found the others arranged by the fire. Kili went to find a place near the couch while Fili took a place next to the hearth, opposite Thorin. He pulled Anwynn close and she rested her hand on his arm, gripping his coat lightly. The humming continued as everyone gathered, and then Thorin began the lyrics.

_Far over the Misty Mountains cold,_

_To dungeons deep and caverns old._

_We must away ere break of day,_

_To find out long-forgotten gold._

_The pines were roaring on the height,_

_The winds were moaning in the night._

_The fire was red, the flaming spread,_

_The trees like torches blazed with light._

Once the song had died away, everyone lingered for a moment, lost in their own thoughts. Thorin brought them out again when he began to speak.

“Everyone find a place to lay down and sleep,” he said quietly. “We have a long day ahead of us tomorrow, and I would like an early start. Goodnight.” And with that, everyone began to move.

Anwynn and the boys set up their blankets by the front door where there was more room. The three lay whispering a while, grateful to have a roof above their heads for once after weeks of camping in the out of doors and how things were going to go on the journey. They had already talked that subject to death, however, and soon Anwynn heard Kili’s snuffling snores from somewhere on her right. She had just turned on her side when she felt Fili grab her hand.

“Anwynn,” he said. She could just make out his face in the dark. “This is it. We start the real journey tomorrow. And there’s no telling what we’ll find along the way. I know you’re a strong fighter, but I still want you to be careful. You know I was against you coming with us—”

“But you also know there was no way you were going to stop me,” Anwynn cut in quickly.

Fili gave a quiet laugh. “Yes, that is true. You’re stubborn with a head like granite when you’ve a mind for something.” He kissed her hand and Anwynn could feel his smile. “But all the same, I worry about what might happen to us on the road; especially you. Just…be careful when you can, dove.”

“Aye,” agreed Anwynn, rubbing her thumb over Fili’s hand. Fili pulled her so she was snuggled against him and laid her hand over his heart.

“I love you, my dove,” he whispered against her ear.

“And I love you,” she said back, settling herself against him before drifting off to sleep.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bilbo joins the Company, Fili and Kili play a very bad prank, and Anwynn has a creeping suspicion.

 

The next morning Thorin roused everyone quietly and they all set about getting ready to head off. Balin made mention of whether the Hobbit would be joining them, but Thorin just shook his head and said they should start as soon as possible. They would have a very quick breakfast at the small inn where they stabled their ponies (and sole horse) the night before, then off they would go.

Anwynn had to admit, the Shire would be a very nice place to live. She found it very peaceful as they walked quietly down the gently rolling paths, the stars still vaguely visible in the early morning. She took a deep breath and let herself sink into the sweet grassy smell. It reminded her very much of home—her home before the Dwarves. She did not wish to go back, close as they were to Archet, but it did bring back some fond memories.

Gandalf led the Company into the small inn and greeted the keeper cheerfully. Breakfast was cooked and served, and everyone tucked in. Anwynn felt no traces of the nausea and dizziness that had affected her the night before and enjoyed her eggs, bacon, and toast with zealous.

The breakfast had taken a bit longer than Thorin had wanted (he was quite testy when he turned to Gloin and ordered him to pay the bill NOW), but they were eventually all on their mounts and on the road. Anwynn took up her normal place between Fili and Kili, slightly taller than both on her very short horse. The boys took advantage of this by filling a small pouch with cloth and throwing it back and forth over her head. Anwynn gave a small exasperated sigh, but knew she could always stop the game of catch by snatching the pouch when it annoyed her enough. For now, she was content to let them have their fun. Occasionally, she would even grab the pouch and redirect it (usually towards Kili) to give the other the advantage.

The Company had not been on the road for long when they suddenly heard the cry of “Wait! Wait!” behind them. The ponies were stopped, and everyone turned to see the Hobbit running after them, trailing the contract behind him.

“I signed it!” he gasped, handing Balin the contract.

While Balin examined the parchment, Anwynn hung her head. Her fate was sealed when Balin rolled up the parchment, beamed at the Hobbit, and welcomed him to the Company of Thorin Oakenshield.

Once Bilbo was settled (more or less) on one of the pack ponies, she felt Kili poke her in the side and resisted the urge to punch him.

“Pay up, lass,” he said smugly, grinning at her.

Anwynn dug into her pocket and pulled out three pennies, grumbling as she handed them over to the brunette who only grinned wider. She would remember to stick him with some horrible chore later on. It consoled her a little to hear she was not the only one grumbling; ahead of her Nori was muttering darkly as well, tossing a pouch to Oin. Dwalin also looked grouchy as he threw one to Gandalf.  Ahead, she overheard Gandalf tell Bilbo about the damned wagers.

It was not that she had questioned Bilbo’s skills or bravery; she had just hoped he would not come. She agreed with Dwalin: the wild is no place for gentlefolk. She did not want to see someone so small and innocent hurt. And losing her money smarted her pride.

After a sudden stop where the Hobbit had panicked about a handkerchief, they were on their way again. The Company travelled on for some hours, and Anwynn was desperate for them to stop. Her back was aching and her thighs were starting to go numb, among other things. Next to her, Kili was expressing the same thoughts.

“I can’t feel my arse anymore!” he whined, tossing his head back.

“Thank you for letting us know,” said Fili flatly. He himself was making a good show of sitting up straight in his saddle, but Anwynn could see him flinch with every other step the pony took and knew it was just a front. However, there was no sympathy from their fearless leader, and on they trudged until the sun was just about to slip from the sky. Thorin led them to a small clearing just off their path.

“We’ll stay here for the night,” he said, dismounting. “Bofur, Ori: watch the ponies. Oin, Gloin: start us a fire so Bombur can cook.”

Everyone set to work, setting down bedrolls and starting the fire for supper. Once Anwynn had set up hers and the boys’ bedrolls, she straightened up, trying to ignore the slight churning in her stomach. It was happening again. Surely it was not something she ate? It had been hours since breakfast! Sensing that nasty feeling at the back of her throat, Anwynn quickly found a log that had been pulled up and took a seat. She wrapped her arms around her middle and stared at the ground, hoping it would pass.

“Can…can I help you?” someone asked. Anwynn looked up and saw it was the Hobbit. He was staring down at her, reserved concern all over his face.

“I, uh, no, I’m quite alright,” she stuttered. “Just feeling a little sick. Probably from riding and being jostled all day. But please, sit, I would like some company.”

Bilbo smiled and took a seat next to her, for he did look very lost as to what to do with himself.

“So, how did you survive the ride, Master Baggins?” Anwynn asked, turning her head to look at him.

“Ah, Myrtle and I are, I think, coming to an agreement,” said Bilbo with a small smile. “I don’t pull on the reigns, and she doesn’t throw me off.”

Anwynn giggled, which seemed to delight Bilbo. “I’ve never been on a pony before,” he continued. “I’ve been in a wagon drawn by one, but never actually on one. I must say, the wagon was a far sight easier to hold onto.”

Anwynn laughed again, but it was cut short as she felt her stomach give another funny turn and something threatened to come up her throat. Bilbo was giving her a worried look again.

“You said your stomach was bothering you, didn’t you?” he asked. Anwynn nodded, and Bilbo hopped to his hairy feet. “You wait right there, I think I might have something for you.”

He was gone for a few minutes, and Anwynn went back to staring at the ground. She looked up again when she felt a tap on the shoulder.

“Here,” said Bilbo, handing her a small wooden cup. “It’s ginger tea, helps settle the stomach. Imagine, I left out with my stock of tea, but completely forgot my handkerchief!” He huffed as he sat back on the log.

Anwynn took a sip of the hot tea, trying and failing not to burn her tongue, but felt immediately better. Well, she thought it made her feel better at least, and that was enough for her.

“Thank you, Bilbo,” she said, reaching out for the Hobbit’s hand and giving it a small squeeze. “I’ve been feeling this way almost every night since we left the Blue Mountains. I don’t think riding agrees with me as much as it used to.”

“I could see that,” said Bilbo, patting her hand in return. The two were silent for a few moments, Anwynn sipping contentedly at her tea, until Fili and Kili returned from gathering more firewood.

“Alright, Annie?” called Kili, dropping his bundle by the fire.

“Aye,” Anwynn called back. “You get us firewood, Puppy?”

She laughed when he scowled; two could play at the embarrassing pet name game.

Fili clapped his scowling brother on the back as he passed him, chuckling. He made his way over to Anwynn and Bilbo, brushing off the wood debris from his coat. When he reached them, he knelt down next to Anwynn and absently started pulling horse hair from her trousers.

“Are you okay?” he asked quietly, stealing a moment to rub small circles on her knee.

“I am _fine_ ,” she answered, running a hand through his hair and tweaking one of his braids. “Promise. Just having a nice cup of tea with Bilbo, chatting while supper cooks. I’ve set up our bedrolls, and our bowls are waiting. Would you fill them when Bombur calls?”

“Of course,” Fili answered. He gave her hand a quick kiss, rose, and went off to fetch supper.

Bilbo, who had been silently observing, spoke up when they were alone again.

“What are you?” he blurted out. Then, seeming startled by his own boldness, immediately starting apologizing. “I’m sorry, I’m so sorry! I didn’t mean it that way, I swear! It’s just that you look so different from the rest of them. I really meant ‘what are you to them?’ The brothers, I mean.” He cleared his throat awkwardly.

Anwynn could do nothing but laugh at the little man’s panicked ramblings.

“It’s alright,” she said, patting his shoulder. “It’s not an unwarranted question; I do look different from the other Dwarves. Mainly that I’m not covered in hair. No, I’m of the race of Men. I came from the little village of Archet, and when Thorin rescued my family from freezing in the mountains, I asked to remain with the Dwarves. As for Fili and Kili, one thing led to another, and I married Fili three years ago. Kili and I consider each other siblings.” She turned to see Bilbo looking absolutely stunned and smiled at the sight.

“You’re…you’re married to a Dwarf?” he stuttered out. “I’ve never heard of anything like that. I know there were Men who married Elves, but never Dwarves. That’s…wow.”

Anwynn smiled at the dazed look on his face; it was always a lot for someone new to take in.

“It looks like Bombur is serving supper,” she said kindly. “Why don’t you hurry and get some before Gloin eats it all. And thank you for the tea, Bilbo.”

As the night went on and everyone was fed and hunkered down under their blankets, Anwynn felt much better. Her stomach still felt funny, but it was nowhere near as bad as before. She made a note to snag Bilbo a little extra dinner the next night as thanks.

However, as she lay between Fili and Kili, listening to their distinct snores, one question remained: why did she feel sick in the first place? As much as she told anyone who asked, she did not think it had anything to do with riding all day.

The next week progressed much the same way; ride all day, make camp at night, wake early the next morning and continue riding.

After a particularly long day that involved crossing a river (which, with ponies, was no mean feat), camp was made on the ledge of a cliff and most of the Dwarves had gone to sleep. Fili and Kili had been assigned first watch, and had stuffed themselves into a hole in the rock face in front of the fire. Anwynn had managed to nestle herself between the two and had her head buried into Fili’s chest. Bilbo had given her another cup of ginger tea earlier, and now she was listening to Fili’s heartbeat waiting for sleep to take her.

In her sleepy haze, she watched Bilbo get up from his bedroll and make his way over to the ponies, an apple in hand. Somewhere in the back of her mind a voice said they needed to preserve all the food they could, but she shushed it with the thought that it was sweet of Bilbo to sneak his pony a treat.

She heard a sound in the distance, something like a scream. In her sleepy mind, she paid it no attention and neither of the boys thought it any cause for alarm. Just another noise in the wilderness. However, Bilbo came running up from the ponies to stop in the light of the fire.

“What was that?” he asked, sounding on edge. There was a brief pause, and then Kili answered.

“Orcs.”

That got Anwynn’s attention. She had heard stories of Orcs, and they had scared the life out of her. Were there really Orcs nearby?

“Orcs?” Bilbo repeated nervously.

“Throat-cutters,” she heard Fili’s voice rumble in her ear. “There’ll be dozens of them out there. The lowlands are crawling with them.” Anwynn tensed, horrible visions playing through her head. She clutched at Fili’s coat.

“They strike in the wee small hours, when everyone’s asleep,” Kili chimed in solemnly. “Quick and quiet. No screams; just lots of blood.”

Anwynn could feel her heart pounding in her chest and darted her eyes all over the camp, trying to catch any sign of movement at the edges. She gave a start when she heard Fili’s laughter rumble in her ear. Kili’s joined in.

Thorin’s voice cut through their mirth.

“You think that’s funny? You think a night raid by Orcs is a joke?” Thorin had roused at the mention of Orcs and was now staring daggers into his nephews. “You’ve scared the hell out of your wife, Fili, and our burglar; I hope you’re proud of yourselves.”

Anwynn realized that she was clammy and her fear must have shown on her face. But they were joking! Those little bastards were joking! Enraged, she thumped Fili on the chest, worked herself out of the hole, and stormed off.

“We didn’t mean anything by it,” said Kili, ashamed. He had never wanted to disappoint his uncle.

“No, you didn’t,” said Thorin harshly, turning away from them. “You know nothing of the world.” He walked off to peer out into the night, leaving two very humbled and abashed nephews behind him.

Anwynn had found her blanket and settled against a tree, glaring at Fili and Kili. How dare they pull a joke like that! It was rude and mean and not at all funny.

“Don’t mind him, laddie,” said Balin, coming to stand by the boys. “Thorin has more cause than most to hate Orcs.” And he began to relate the Battle of Azanulbizar; the Battle of Moria. Anwynn had heard bits and snatches of the battle, but nothing in-depth. She had heard that Thorin’s father, grandfather, and brother had been lost; now she heard how. And it was truly a horrifying tale. But she found herself admiring Thorin’s bravery, and respected him all the more for all he had gone through. She felt herself standing for Thorin.

“And I thought to myself, there is one I could follow,” said Balin. “There is one I could call King.”

All of the Dwarves were now standing in respect for Thorin. Anwynn felt a new sense of wonder looking at the Dwarf king. She had always held him in the highest respects for what he had done for her and how he led his people. Now, however, she saw him as the true warrior king he was.

“But the Pale Orc?” Bilbo asked, breaking the silence. “What happened to him?”

Anwynn winced. As little as she knew about the Battle for Moria, she knew that Azog was a very sore subject for Thorin.

“He slunk back into the hole whence he came,” snarled Thorin, walking back into the heart of their camp. “That filth died of his wounds long ago.”

Things calmed down after that, and everyone settled back down in their own time. Anwynn decided to stay near the tree and laid there, curled up in her blanket. She had just closed her eyes when she heard movement next to her. It was Bilbo, bringing over his own bedroll.

“I hope you don’t mind,” he said softly. “I can’t sleep with Bombur’s snoring. It’s why I got up in the first place.”

“Not at all, Master Baggins,” Anwynn replied, trying to stifle a yawn. She propped herself up on her arm and waited for the Hobbit to settle.

“Are…are they always like that?” he asked when he had laid down. “Fili and Kili, I mean. Do they always…joke like that?”

As angry as she was with them, Anwynn could not help but give a small smile.

“Yes, although usually their jokes are in much better taste,” she said. “Old as they may be, they are still very young by Dwarf standards. Barely more than striplings. Fili came of age seven years ago, and Kili only two. They’re still almost teenagers in my kind’s years.”

“And do…do Dwarves usually marry that young?” Bilbo asked.

“Well, no,” conceded Anwynn. “Usually they wait until they are at least ninety to marry, if they ever do at all. Fili was seventy-nine when we were wed.” She looked at him from across the camp; he had sunk lower into his furs after the dressing down Thorin had given them, and she could almost see a faint trace of red on his face. “You know, I sometimes forget just how young he really is. He and Kili both.”

“We have something like that in the Shire,” said Bilbo. “We call them tweens, until they come of age at thirty-three. And even after that, it’s usually a few years until we marry.”

“Pardon me, Master Hobbit, but you don’t look quite like a young and spry fellow. Yet your home was empty but for you.”

Bilbo gave a shrug.

“I guess I just never found the right Hobbit. I was a bit of an oddball in my youth, running off all the time, looking for Elves. I suppose my reputation followed me into my adulthood. Now, pardon _me_ , but in the Shire, married couples usually have children by the wagonload. Yet here both you and your husband are, with no one left to mind the homestead.”

“It’s true; we have no children,” said Anwynn, giving a smile that she had no heart in. “It’s not that we haven’t tried, but nothing has happened yet. I’m honestly not so sure we even can. A Dwarf and a Man; certain things might not mix up well, if you understand. We’re just going on the hope that if a Man and an Elf can, so can we.”

Bilbo nodded. “That’s the spirit,” he said hearteningly.

The conversation dissipated after that, and the two fell off to sleep. Anwynn woke up briefly when Fili settled down on her other side when his watch was over. Without saying a word, he hesitantly took her hand. She gave him a quick squeeze, letting him know he was forgiven for his horrible joke. Sleep took them both quickly after.

A week or so later found them still travelling through the woods, this time in the pouring rain. It had been raining for three days straight, and the entire Company was sick of it. Even cheerful Bofur was getting a bit testy without the use of his pipe.

Today Anwynn was in the middle of the Company, thankful for the cloak that Dis had made for her, and desperately wishing she had taken the woman up on her offer to make another one before Anwynn had left. It was June now, but the chill of the rain was seeping into her bones and she had not been able to feel her hands in hours. Her hood was drawn down over her face in an effort to keep the water out of her eyes. Behind her, both Fili and Kili were holding their reigns tightly, staring straight ahead. They had been somewhat subdued since the Orc joke. Most of their time since then had been devoted to showing their uncle they were not immature children. So far, they had been doing well.

Camp had finally been made in the shelter of a few trees, and somehow a fire had been started (Gandalf had been seen lurking near Oin and Gloin as they worked desperately with the wood). While half of the Company had gone off to try to find dry wood for the fire, the other half had set about piling leaves into make-shift beds to keep everyone out of the mud as they slept.

Just when Anwynn was starting to feel that familiar churn in her gut and found a seat on a fallen tree, a large blue lump-thing approached her. It turned out to be Bilbo in a borrowed cloak from Dwalin with her now nightly ginger tea. She took it with a grateful nod of her head, and Bilbo huddled off again to help Bombur with supper.

She was halfway through the cup when Fili plopped down beside her and rested his head on her shoulder. He had not been so familiar with her since he and Kili had disappointed Thorin. It had been his way of showing his uncle that he was a grown Dwarf worthy of coming on the journey, not some love-sick dwarfling. Anwynn understood, but she still missed his touches.

“What are you drinking, love?” Fili asked, lowering his impressive nose towards her cup and sniffing. “Ginger?” He looked at her, brows knitted. “Your stomach bothering you again?”

“Not much,” sighed Anwynn. She was tired of trying to hide it. “No more so than usual. The tea helps. And I’m fine, before you ask. So don’t worry after me.”

“This has been happening for weeks now,” Fili said, staring at her sternly. “And I _am_ worried. You’re never normally sick. I can’t think what would bring it on like this, and why it’s lasted so long.”

“I have no idea,” muttered Anwynn, letting her head hang.

Fili was not going to let up that easily.

“Can you think of nothing that’s been unusual?” he asked. “Anything that’s been out of the ordinary, anything feeling off?”

“Nothing I can think of,” she said, shaking her head.

Fili gave her another lingering look of concern, then rubbed her back and stood.

“I’ll get us some supper,” he said. “You rest.”

Once again the Company found their way under their blankets and slept, Dwalin and Nori taking first watch. It was here in the darkness that Anwynn found herself wide awake, thinking over what Fili had said. Was there something different that she had noticed? Nothing except long days of riding, little food, and even less sleep. But everyone else was going through the same experience, and they were alright. But they were Dwarves, not Men. They were males, not females.

Females.

And then it hit her.

_Oh, Mahal, no. Please no._

The one thing that set her apart as a woman, more than anything else. Her monthly flower, as her mother had called it. Only, now that she thought on it, it had not been so monthly lately. She felt her blood run cold and the color leave her face. Her heart was suddenly hammering in her chest. She tried to think back to the last time it had come: not since before they had left the Blue Mountains. Almost three months ago.

She could not breathe. No. No, this was not happening. There had to be another reason. Anwynn thought hard. She had heard of lack of food and sleep throwing some women off. She almost fell asleep on her pony and her stomach grumbled at her most days. That had to be it. Yes, it was as simple as that.

And clinging desperately to that little thread of hope, she fell into an uneasy sleep.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Anwynn starts to consider things, then decides to proclaim ignorance until proven otherwise. And then there are trolls.

Over the next month, Anwynn tried to push the thought out of her mind but it was always there, clinging to the edges.

Pregnant.

_Pregnant._

There was a possibility that she was pregnant. And day by day, despite her best efforts denying it, it was becoming more of a probability. She felt sick at night; the nausea in the early months, her mind would tell her. Her sense of smell was much keener than it ever had been before, which meant travelling with a group of sweaty, smelly Dwarves was much worse than it should have been. Her back hurt constantly, and being jostled on the back of a horse all day made her ache everywhere.

However, Anwynn was determined to hide it from her companions. It had been difficult enough to convince Thorin to let her come with them in the first place; Dwarven women were usually hidden away within their kingdom and only travelled when absolutely necessary. But Anwynn was not about to let her husband and family go off on a dangerous quest and leave her behind to do nothing but worry. Propriety be damned, she was going. And she had.

But if she were pregnant, it would change everything. The journey would be too dangerous for an expecting mother. She would be forced to turn around and head back to the Blue Mountains to wait everything out with Dis and the other women left behind. Thorin would not risk a dwarfling, which were rare enough, but especially a potential heir.

So Anwynn bucked up. She pushed herself as much as she needed, and refused to complain about anything. If no one suspected, she could continue on. She realized that eventually things would become a bit too obvious to hide, but she would address that when it came about. Anwynn was determined to keep her husband safe _and_ deliver her child, on the road if need be.

But she was getting ahead of herself. She was not sure if there even _was_ a child. And she would continue on believing this until something made her think otherwise.

This belief was never tested more than it was one night in July, about two months after they had left the Shire.

Thorin had ordered them to make camp at an abandoned farm house, and he and Gandalf had argued over this decision until Gandalf became angry and stormed off. Fili and Kili had been ordered to watch the ponies, and wrangled them a ways off from the camp. Anwynn had thought about accompanying them, but figured that this would be a good time for the boys to show their uncle they really were ready for the responsibilities that adulthood brought. She figured they would be fine on their own. After all, they had survived for decades before she had ever met them.

She had just passed Bofur the boys’ bowls to fill with stew before going off to sit with her own supper when she overheard Bilbo fretting about Gandalf’s continued absence. Bofur attempted to placate the Hobbit and then asked him to take dinner to Fili and Kili watching the ponies. Anwynn took a seat by Balin and began to eat her stew.

“How are you, lass?” Balin asked warmly, letting his own bowl cool.

“As well as can be expected, Master Balin,” Anwynn replied with a grin. She adored the little Dwarf; he was like a grandfather to her. “And yourself?”

“Oh, about the same,” he said easily, absently brushing a dead leaf from his knee. “An old man such as myself can only stand being on a pony for so long before he just wants a rest.” He stared off into the distance, a perturbed look on his face. “However, I must say, the business with Gandalf does worry me.”

“What do you mean?” asked Anwynn, tucking into her supper. “He got angry with Thorin and went off to cool down. As stubborn as Thorin is sometimes, I can’t say I blame Gandalf.”

Balin gave her a jovial smile. “Aye, lass, he can be stubborn as a mule sometimes. But that’s not what troubles me. Gandalf was insisting we move on, and I can only imagine him wanting to continue a little longer if there was a good reason. So why did he not want to stop here?”

“I have absolutely no idea,” said Anwynn. But what Balin said troubled her; why _would_ Gandalf be against settling here for the night?

They were joined by Dwalin, who only managed a grunt before vanishing into his bowl; Dwalin was always far more agreeable once he had been fed. They had just finished eating when a tremendous crashing sound caught everyone’s attention. They all looked to the edge of the camp and saw Fili thundering toward them, looking half frantic. Anwynn felt her heart leap into her throat.

“Come quickly!” he shouted. “Trolls took the ponies, and Bilbo’s gone after them, and he’s in trouble! Hurry!” And with that, he dashed away again. Without thinking, everyone grabbed their weapons and ran after him.

They arrived just in time to watch as Bilbo was flung at and caught by Kili, and then rushed past them to attack the three giant trolls.

It was the first time Anwynn had ever actually fought an enemy; all her training before had been against sparring partners. Now, however, her and her companions’ lives were on the line. Her sword firmly in her hands, she tried to remember everything Fili and Dwalin had taught her. Duck, duck, dodge, spin and slice, stab, flip, kick and punch if you must.

One of the trolls made a grab for her leg and she stomped on his fingers then plunged her sword in his palm. He yelped and fell back, clutching his hand, and Anwynn took the time to slice his ankle and move on.

She heard Ori yelling from the grip of another troll, and went running for him but was beat by Thorin and Dwalin, who freed the youngest Dwarf. Anwynn ran to make sure he was alright before going back to help Bofur in smashing more troll feet.

Whenever she had a chance, she would look to try and catch sight of Fili. He was always on his feet and fine when she saw him, but she was terrified she would look and find him smashed and broken on the ground. Still, she kept fighting. She would be no use to anyone standing still.

She was so caught up that she did not immediately recognize the call to stop. When she did, she looked up and saw that the trolls had Bilbo spread-eagle between them and were ordering the Dwarves to drop their weapons. When Thorin stabbed his sword into the ground with a look of defeat, everyone followed.

“There we are,” said one of the trolls. “Now boys, let’s bag ‘em.”

Anwynn and the Dwarves found themselves cornered and roughly stuffed into burlap sacks. The troll that grabbed Anwynn was none too gentle as he peeled off her coat and trousers. She had a moment of panic when he pressed his thumb into her stomach, apparently testing her softness. She felt the wind leave her lungs and everything became tight. It felt like he was going to squish her in half! There was a wild moment of horror when she remembered she might be carrying and tried to squirm her way out of the grip. However, the troll finally let go and shoved her feet-first into her sack, tying the string about her shoulders. She was tossed onto Thorin and Gloin and left to roll down next to Balin, face-up and head on Fili’s legs.

She was breathing fast, trying to force her anxiety down. She was fine, not squashed, and she could feel nothing akin to horrible pain in her lower areas. Slowly, Anwynn forced herself to calm down. She turned her head to the left and saw Fili, lying on his stomach. He was trying to shake his way out of his own sack.

As the trolls discussed how best to eat the Company, it suddenly dawned on Anwynn that she had not had any of Bilbo’s ginger tea tonight, and her stomach began to roll. Through her terror, she had the singular thought of _Great_. _Just what this situation needed._

Around her, Dwarves were threatening or pleading with the trolls.

“Untie me, Mister!” she distinctly heard Bombur yell while everyone in the little pile around her shook and wiggled, trying to get out of their sacks.

Suddenly, Bilbo shot up from the pile on the ground and hopped his way over to the trolls at the spit.

“Wait!” he said. “You’re making a terrible mistake.”

“You can’t reason with them!” Dori called, roasting on the spit. “They’re half-wits!”

“Half-wits? What does that make us?!?” Anwynn could not help but sigh. They were about to be eaten and Bofur could still find a place for humor, albeit panicked.

“You’re going to need something stronger than _sage_ before you plate this lot up!” Bilbo continued. Anwynn could hardly believe her ears. Their burglar was turning on them! He was actually giving the trolls _tips on how to eat them!_ The Dwarves around her began to flail in their anger, and all the movement did her stomach no favors.

“Yes, I’m telling you, the secret is…” Bilbo seemed to be hesitating, looking for the answer in the air. “To skin them first!”

Now Anwynn joined in the flailing, stomach or no. She yelled and shouted with the others, and fully backed Dwalin’s yell of “I won’t forget that!”

The trolls, however, disagreed with Bilbo’s suggestion. One picked up Bombur and attempted to gulp him down whole until Bilbo called out again.

“Not—not that one; he’s infected!”

“You what?” asked one of the trolls, suspicious.

“Yeah,” hurried Bilbo. “He’s got worms in his…tubes.” Bombur found himself hurled back on top of the pile. “In fact, they all have. They’re infested with parasites! It’s a terrible business. I wouldn’t risk it, I really wouldn’t.”

From around her, everyone was yelling about not being infested, but Anwynn had a sneaking suspicion. Thorin seemed to be thinking along the same lines, and he kicked Kili after the latter shouted that Bilbo had parasites. He quickly changed his tune.

“Mine are the biggest parasites!” he yelled vehemently. “I’ve got _huge_ parasites!”

With all the moving going on, Anwynn’s stomach had finally had it. While everyone else was yelling about being full of worms, Anwynn turned her head and vomited. In hindsight, this was probably helpful in convincing the trolls they were infected. However, at the moment, it was one more horrible incident in an already terrifying situation.

Suddenly, a voice boomed from somewhere beyond them.

“The dawn will take you all!”

There was a crack, a dazzling ray of sunlight, and the trolls were turned to stone.

There was a beat where everyone took in what had happened, and then everyone started moving at once, trying to get free.

“Oh, get your foot out of my back!” Dwalin hollered from the spit.

Gandalf freed Bilbo and the two set about freeing everyone else. While the other Dwarves in the pile went to help the others off the spit, Fili untied Anwynn and pulled the sack off her. She immediately fell to her hands and knees, trying to breathe. Fili was beside her in an instant.

“Are you alright? How are you feeling?” He sounded panicked.

 His hands were cupping her face, forcing her to look up as she fought to keep staring at the ground. She felt disgusting. She smelled of troll sack, she was in her underthings, and there was still sick clinging to her lips and chin. She felt tears in her eyes as she looked up at her husband.

Not hesitating for a moment, Fili tore a piece of his shirt and cleaned her mouth and chin. He used his sleeve to wipe her tears and kissed her forehead. Anwynn launched herself into his arms, wrapping her own tightly around his back. She cried into his shoulder as he held her and shushed her gently.

A few moments passed and her tears stopped, but she still held onto Fili. She kept her face buried in his shoulder, breathing in his scent and trying to calm herself.

“Are you alright?” Fili asked gently, rubbing her back. “Please Anwynn, answer me.”

She nodded, then drew a shaky breath.

“I’m okay,” she finally answered. “I’m alright. I’m sorry, I just—Are you alright?”

“Aye,” he answered, cradling her head in his hand.

 They sat there in silence a little while longer until Fili spoke again.

“I think the others have returned with our packs. How about we get you dressed?”

Anwynn nodded and he helped her up and over to the group. Fili retrieved her coat and trousers and helped her dress before recovering his own clothes. Normally Anwynn would never have let anyone dress her, but she was too tired to care at the moment.

The encounter had done one thing above all others; Anwynn now realized just how dangerous theirs travels would be. And she knew that if she was pregnant, she could not keep it to herself. The next opportunity she had to be alone with Fili, she would tell him. They could decide what to do together.

When everyone had dressed and gathered their belongings, Gandalf and Thorin led them to a nearby cave the trolls had apparently been inhabiting. Thorin and Gandalf led a few members of the Company into the cave, and everyone else stayed outside, checking each other over for any lingering injuries.

“Bilbo!” cried Anwynn, clapping the Hobbit on the shoulders. He gave a start, but smiled when he saw who it was.

“You’re not mad, then?” he asked sheepishly. “I’m pretty sure I heard you threaten to throw me off a cliff earlier.”

Had she said that? Funny, she did not remember. Actually, she really was not sure what she had said.

“No, of course not!” she said, smiling widely. “You did brilliantly, stalling like that! You really do have the makings of a great burglar.”

Bilbo looked as if he was not sure to take this as a compliment or an insult, so he just stuck out his chest and gave her a bracing nod with a grin.

Anwynn patted him once more on the back, and then made her way back over to Fili. When she reached him, she was immediately accosted by Kili.

“How are you?” he said, taking her by the shoulders and look her in the eye, his manner stern. “I heard you be sick. How are you doing?”

“I’m fine,” she said easily. This was starting to become something of a catchphrase for her. “Really, Puppy, I’m okay.”

Kili did not even take time to glower at her for the name. He hugged her tight.

“You’re my sister,” he murmured. “I’d die before I let anything happen to you.”

“I’m really alright,” she said, trying to lighten the mood. Things were getting far too serious. “But how are you? I heard you yell something about having huge parasites?”

Kili did glower at her this time, then pinched her arm playfully and ran away before she could retaliate. It amazed her how he could switch from somber to childish in an instant. And she loved that about him. He was serious when it really mattered.

Just as Kili ran away, Thorin and the others emerged from the cave, smelling even less pleasant than usual. Anwynn could feel her eyes watering from the stench. Thorin walked over to her and Fili to show them his newly acquired sword.

“It was made by Elves,” said Thorin with contempt, though Anwynn could see the twinkle in his eye. He liked the sword.

“Well, let’s not hold that against it,” said Anwynn, reaching out to run her finger along the metal. “I’m sure it’s a fine blade regardless.”

“Gandalf has assured me,” agreed Thorin.

“It’s a very nice metal,” put in Fili, leaning closer to examine the sword. “Nice and straight, just the right amount of heft. With a little polishing, this sword will shine brilliantly.”

Thorin nodded and was about to reply when they heard a crash from somewhere in the woods.

“Something’s coming!” Thorin yelled.

“Stay together!” called Gandalf. “Hurry, now! Arm yourselves!”

Anwynn’s hand went immediately to her sword, drawing and leveling it in front of her. However, the threat never came. Instead, an odd little man came riding up on a sled pulled by rabbits. Anwynn rubbed her eyes just to make sure she was seeing things right. Was that _bird droppings_ on his face?

As it turned out, this funny little fellow was Radagast the Brown, a wizard Gandalf had described a few weeks earlier. Once he had calmed down, Radagast and Gandalf had stepped aside to have a private word.

 While Fili and Kili mooned over Thorin’s newly-acquired sword, Anwynn found her way over to Radagast’s sled. The impressively large rabbits that pulled the sled were sitting idly, waiting for their master to return. Anwynn knelt down in the grass beside them and held out her hand to one. It sniffed her fingers with its twitchy little nose and, deciding she was safe, rubbed its head into her palm. She laughed and scratched the creature behind its ears and rubbed its back. It was warm and soft and cuddly.

She was still playing with the rabbits when a long, keening howl sounded from somewhere very close by. Everyone froze.

“Was that a wolf?” asked Bilbo squeaked Bilbo. “Are there—are there wolves around here?”

“Wolves?” said Bofur in a tight voice. “No, that is not a wolf.”

Suddenly a Warg appear from a cluster of trees above them and jumped down into the Company. Thorin was at it immediately and killed it with his new sword. He had just pulled the blade from the body when another Warg attacked from the side. Kili drew his bow quickly and shot it, bringing it down. Dwalin was on it in an instant, sinking his axe into it.

“Warg scouts!” shouted Thorin, whirling around. “Which means an Orc pack is not far behind.”

Orcs? No, Anwynn thought, this was not possible. There were no Orcs around here; they lived in the Misty Mountains, and farther down to the south. And they had just escaped the trolls; could another life or death situation not wait a few more days?

“You are being hunted!” said Gandalf.

“We have to get out of here!” shouted Dwalin, with the most useless statement of the day.

Suddenly Ori appeared from around the trees, followed by Bifur.

“We can’t!” Ori yelled. “We have no ponies; they bolted!”

Anwynn felt a momentary stab of pain for her loyal horse; Windy had come with her all the way from Archet. But fear quickly overcame her thoughts again as they heard another howl. Radagast volunteered to lead the Orcs away with his Rhosgobel rabbits while the Dwarves made a run for it.

Everyone waited, huddled at the edge of the tree line, for Radagast to take off. He sprang forward, making as much noise as he could, and the Dwarves watched as the Orcs appeared from behind rocks. They kicked at their Wargs and took off after the Brown Wizard. Anwynn was repulsed by the looks of them; all grey and slimy, scarred all over and their faces grotesque. She shuddered at the thought of being caught by them.

“Come on,” said Gandalf lowly, and they followed him out into the sparse rocky plain.

They dodged behind rocks, trying to stay out of sight. Behind them, they could hear Radagast laughing and shouting, “Come and get me!”

 _He really is a daft old man_ , thought Anwynn. She chanced a quick look back and saw one of the Orcs astride a Warg crash into a large rock while on the chase. She congratulated Radagast in her head and kept hurrying with everyone else. The Company stopped behind a particularly huge rock, but Ori kept going, running blindly.

“Ori, no!” Thorin shouted, grabbing the youngest by his collar just in time and dragging him back. He was pulled back into Anwynn who grabbed him and pushed him behind her.

“You’re alright, Little Ori,” she said quietly, keeping hold of his shoulder.

They stayed still just a few seconds longer, and then made a run for it again, following Gandalf. He seemed to have a plan, and appeared to be leading them somewhere. Suddenly, one of the Wargs chasing Radagast turned and ran towards the Company instead. They stood, trapped behind a rock, as the Warg slowly made its way towards them. Anwynn gripped the sleeve of Fili’s coat, heart thundering. She was tense, ready to flee but knowing she was nowhere fast enough to outrun the beast. To her right, she saw Thorin nod to Kili, and Kili draw his bow. He nocked his arrow, turned quickly, and let it fly at the beast above them. It came down with a yelp, and the Dwarves nearest rushed to stab and bludgeon both beast and rider. The immediate danger was gone, but the noise from the dying creatures had alerted the others.

“Move,” shouted Gandalf. “Run!”

The Company took off once again and made it to a clearing, but were quickly surrounded by Wargs and Orcs. Anwynn and the Dwarves spread out, preparing for battle. This was it, they would sink or swim, so to speak.

“There’s more coming!” Kili shouted, turning around to find his uncle.

“Kili!” Thorin yelled back, half desperate. “Shoot them!”

“We’re surrounded!” Fili yelled, falling back to close ranks with the other Dwarves.

The closest Wargs lunged forward, and the Dwarves began attacking. Kili shot as many as he could, while everyone else began driving their weapons into the horrific creatures.

Anwynn came face to gruesome face with one brown and black mottled Warg. It snapped at her, and she jumped away but it still managed to snatch her arm. She stabbed it in the chest and it released her, falling over to die. Now its rider jumped down and advanced on her, unnecessarily large scimitar in his hands.

He ran at her, swinging his scimitar and just barely missing as Anwynn stumbled and fell to the ground. Her sword was still stuck in the dead Warg, so she reached for the daggers hiding in her boots. Rolling over quickly and stumbling to her feet, she managed to catch the Orc in the small of his back. This did nothing more than anger him, and he turned around to slash at her. She ducked down to avoid the blade and came up again to catch him in the stomach, tearing into the flesh. The Orc fell to his knees, and she delivered one final stab to his back. He fell face first into the ground and did not move again.

Quickly, Anwynn scrambled to recover her weapons. She shoved her dagger quickly back in her boots, and began tugging her sword from the Warg. Other Orcs were getting closer, having completely given up on chasing Radagast. She frantically pulled at her sword.

“Damn!” she shouted. “Curse these stupid beasts and their thick hide!”

She planted her foot on the thing’s forehead and gave one last desperate yank. The sword came free with a low _schlik_ sound, and Anwynn immediately took off. As she ran back towards the other Dwarves, she saw Ori attempting to bring down the leading Orc with nothing but his slingshot. He got off one shot, beaming the Warg in the head and nothing more. The Warg, now hacked off, kept advancing, and Ori looked petrified. Anwynn did not slow down as she ran past, snagging Ori by his cowl and dragging him behind her.

“Run, Little Ori!” she yelled, pulling him along. He eventually found his feet and she let go, both making their way back into the circle of the Company.

“Hold your ground!” Thorin shouted, his own new sword at the ready.

Anwynn turned to face the Orcs again. In front of her she could see Fili, tense and waiting for more to advance, both of his swords in his hands. Off to the side, Kili had an advantage; his weapon was made for long distance attacks. He was shooting off arrows as fast as he could, finding his mark every time.

Things were looking bleak, Wargs and Orcs drawing closer. Kili was the only one able to do anything at this distance, and the others were waiting anxiously for their moment to attack.

Suddenly, there was a shout behind them.

“This way, you fools!”

Gandalf had appeared from behind a great rock and was waving them over.

Thorin was calling for everyone to follow Gandalf. Dwarf after Dwarf disappeared behind the rock. Anwynn gave Ori a push and sent him running towards the stone. She started to run after him, but was outstripped by a rider-less Warg. Thorin hacked at it and took it down, still calling for the remaining members of the Company.

“Kili!” he shouted, trying to get the brunette’s attention, as he was still firing away. Kili turned and ran, catching up with Fili, and both caught up with Anwynn as they all hurried towards the rock.

Fili grabbed Anwynn’s arm and all but threw her down the hole. She tumbled, feeling her injured arm catch on the rough chute. She slid to the bottom, her landing somewhat softened by Bofur, who was kind enough to bend down and attempt to catch her. Just as he helped her to her feet, Fili came sliding down, followed quickly by Kili, and finally by Thorin.

The sound of a horn invaded the little passageway in which they were huddled. Hooves pounded closer to them, and the sounds of a battle began. Suddenly, an Orc fell through the hole and into their midst. Everyone scrambled away to safety, but the Orc did not move. Balin hesitantly poked it with his mace, but it remained still. Dead. There was a slender arrow protruding from its neck, too thin to be one of Kili’s. Thorin plucked it out and held it to the light.

“Elves,” he muttered darkly, and threw the arrow to the ground. He turned to glare at Gandalf.

“I cannot see where the pathway leads,” yelled Dwalin, standing at the head of the group, squinting down the shaft. “Do we follow it or no?”

“Follow it, o’ course!” cried Bofur, pushing his way forward. The matter settled, everyone began to follow.

“I think that would be wise,” murmured Gandalf, distinctly ignoring Thorin’s angry gaze.

Anwynn stole a quick moment to throw her good arm around Fili’s shoulders and touch their foreheads. It was the Dwarven way of showing warmth and affection and, at that moment, relief. He wrapped his arms around her in return and pressed back, eyes closed. She heard him hum lowly, and then they broke apart to follow the others. She caught Kili’s sleeve as she walked, giving it a quick tug before letting go again. It was her way of reassuring herself that her brother was fine as well, and letting him know the same. Then she fell in line behind both boys and cradled her injured arm to her chest. It hurt like hell, but there would be time to see to it later. For now, they needed to make it to safety.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Elves, Fili worrying (what's new?), and finally a third party gives Anwynn the truth. Also, Dwarven shenanigans in Rivendell. Because it just wouldn't be a party without food throwing and doing something to the plumbing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I went to the midnight premiere of The Desolation of Smaug, and Smaug is scary awesome! And Thorin even makes a joke. However, I noticed that how I thought the movie would go in my head and how the movie actually goes differs quite a bit, so when it comes to the DOS chapters and possibly beyond, expect me to follow the book canon more than the movie canon.

The passage had been narrow in certain places, and between weapons and packs and general bulk, it had been fairly difficult to move through. Bifur had taken to shoving his cousin Bombur forward, invited or not, just to keep the line moving.

As it had turned out, Gandalf had been leading them to the Elven realm of Rivendell. Anwynn looked out at the trees and nature-inspired structures with wonder. They were absolutely beautiful. All the greens and blues came together wonderfully, and the waterfall she could see in the distance was breathtaking. Everywhere she turned, there was something new and terrific to see.

However, Thorin seemed to think differently. He rounded on Gandalf, eyes narrowed.

“This was your plan all along!” he cried. “To seek refuge with our enemy!”

Gandalf peered down at him, his eyes stern.

“You have no enemies here, Thorin Oakenshield,” he said matter-of-factly. “The only ill-will to be found in this valley is that which you bring yourself.”

Anwynn caught Bilbo’s eye and the two shared a look. Thorin, their majestic and fearless leader, had just been put in his place by a dawdling old man.

Gandalf had elected himself spokesman for the group, and they crossed the impressive bridge into Rivendell. All of the Dwarves looked around in apprehension, hands just waiting to draw weapons at any sign of betrayal or danger. Fili and Kili stuck themselves to Anwynn’s sides, but she felt no danger here. Maybe it was because she was of Men and had no conflict with Elves, but she felt at peace here. Despite her wonder, she did remember to keep one eye out for their burglar; they were quite high up and she did not want the little man to take a tumble off.

The Company was greeted by a very handsome Elf, tall and willowy.

“Mithrandir,” he called merrily, nodding to Gandalf.

“Ah, Lindir,” said Gandalf happily, walking to speak with the Elf.

The Dwarves of the Company began to mutter to each other, all looking around suspicious. Their mutterings only increased when the Elf Lindir began speaking in another tongue. Anwynn saw Thorin positively scowling at him.

“I must speak with Lord Elrond,” said Gandalf quickly. He seemed to sense Thorin’s growing aggression and wished to head it off.

“My Lord Elrond is not here,” replied Lindir.

“Not here? Where is he?”

In reply, a horn sounded, similar to the one they had heard back in the passageway. Anwynn heard Thorin yell something in his language, and all of the Dwarves began to move at once into a circle. Anwynn found herself being caught yet again by her injured arm and thrown into the center of the circle, where she met Bilbo. Around them, the Dwarves had drawn their weapons and were facing down the oncoming threat. The sound of hooves galloped toward them, and then they were surrounded by tall horses ridden by tall warriors. Anwynn grabbed onto Bilbo’s shoulder, ready to make a run for it if need be. She had no idea what would come next.

Then one Elf in particular came forward and removed his helmet. He was a very distinguished looking being, and Anwynn could not decide if he were on the side of younger or older.

“Gandalf,” he said, sounding half amused, half exasperated.

“My Lord Elrond,” replied Gandalf, giving a bow.

So this was the Elf Lord Elrond. He looked kind to Anwynn, if not somewhat tall and imposing. She also discovered, looking around, that it was not just Lindir who was willowy; all Elves appeared to be. They were elegant beings, who moved far more gracefully than she could ever hope to. They even managed to look beautiful dismounting a horse! That was something she wished she could master; she usually just slid down one side or the other and hoped she did not hit the ground too hard.

Elrond had left his horse, and he and Gandalf were now speaking in Elvish. The sounds and facial expressions seemed pleasant enough, but she could feel the hackles of the Dwarves rising. She pinched her nose in exasperation. She knew by now that Dwarves were easily offended, but really! No one had made a menacing move yet!

As it turned out, Lord Elrond and his men had been the ones to take on the Orcs chasing them earlier. Anwynn thought they owed the Elves thanks, but Thorin just looked angered. Once again, the _Elves_ had shown him up. First they had refused to help his people as Smaug burned their kingdom, and then refused to offer them shelter. Now they had taken on an enemy that Thorin had run away from.

 _One of these days, his pride is going to bite him_ , Anwynn thought.

Lord Elrond tried making pleasantries with Thorin, but the Dwarf King was having none of it. Shame, thought Anwynn; Elrond seemed nice enough. After being brushed off by Thorin, the Elf settled him with a stare and spoke in a stern-sounding Elvish.

The Company once again became agitated, and Anwynn felt her own confidence shake. Had Thorin pushed their luck too far?

_There was a reason Gandalf told him not to speak…_

“What is he sayin’?” growled Gloin, stepping forward and shaking his axe. “Does he offer us insult?”

“No, Master Gloin,” said Gandalf, speaking slowly. “He is offering you food.”

The Dwarves converged and began to discuss.

“Do it, do it,” chanted Kili lowly. “Dear Mahal, please do it. I’m _starving_!”

Fili nodded earnestly at his brother, and Anwynn agreed with both. Her stomach would love a good bite to eat, whether or not she threw it up again later. She was caught off guard and had to stop herself giggling when she overheard Thorin somewhere behind her mutter to Dwalin, “We use the toilets and then we leave.”

 Every now and then, Thorin proved that he was indeed related to his nephews.

“Ahh, well,” Gloin spoke up again, “in that case, lead on.”

Before dinner was served, however, the Elves offered to look the Company over for injuries. Anwynn tried to decline, knowing Oin would probably be put-off she did not go to him, but Fili and Kili insisted.

“I can’t believe you didn’t tell me you were hurt!” Fili said, brows knitted when he had discovered her injury. “I grabbed you by that arm! Why didn’t you say anything?”

“When was there a chance?” she muttered defensively, snatching her arm back when he tried to look at it.

“Uh uh,” Fili chided, pulling her arm back and looking at the bite mark. “First your stomach and now you’re bleeding. I’m not letting this go; you’re going with the healers, Elvish or not. Look, this is pretty deep.”

“It’s not _that_ bad,” she said, rolling her eyes. “I _did_ still manage to take down the Warg that did it _and_ kill its rider.”

Fili looked up from her arm, in slight awe.

“Really?” he said. “Impressive. That’s my girl!” He beamed at her proudly.

She returned the smile, but it vanished when he hauled her up and over to a group of Elves.

“Excuse me,” he said in a polite, diplomatic way. “This is my wife. She was bitten by a Warg. I was hoping maybe you could take a look and see what you could do for it?”

“Of course,” said one of the Elves, beautiful with long blonde hair. She bent down and gently took Anwynn’s uninjured arm, leading her through an archway and down a corridor.

The corridors here were beautiful as well, the architecture leaving the walls half open to the outside, with vines and flowers twisting all over. Leaves were everywhere, and Anwynn felt the gentle breeze blowing through her hair. It only served to remind her just how filthy the travel had left her.

They came to a large set of double doors, and the Elf stopped.

“You can wait here,” she said to Fili. “There are chairs just over there where you can sit. We’ll take good care of her, I promise. We will not be long.”

Fili took Anwynn’s hand gently before letting go and allowing the Elf to take her through the doors. Inside was a hallway with rooms off to both sides. Real rooms with full walls, although ivy still trailed along the tops. She was led down the hall and into a room with a large pool in the floor. It was a bathtub.

“I thought you might like to bathe,” the Elf said gently. “It would be a good idea before we dress your arm, hopefully help ward off an infection or fever. Would you like to?”

“Very much,” said Anwynn, already dreaming about a nice hot bath and feeling clean afterwards.

The Elf smiled.

“Let me help you undress,” she said.

Anwynn was wary of strangers putting their hands on her, but relented at the thought of a bath.

“My name is Glindel,” she said, working the fastenings of Anwynn’s coat, “just to make this all a little less strange for you.”

“Thank you, I appreciate that,” said Anwynn, shrugging off the coat while Glindel went about untying her tunic. “I’m Anwynn.”

“So, the Dwarf out there is your husband?” Glindel asked as she gathered the material to bring it over the other’s head.

“That he is,” replied Anwynn, now turning to untie and shuck her trousers. “And no, I’m not an unnaturally un-hairy Dwarf woman. I’m Man; I’m just short. Really short.”

Glindel smiled.

“Well, that answers that,” she said. “Do you have any extra clothes with you? I’m afraid these have had it until they have been washed again.”

“I do,” said Anwynn, now down to her smalls. “I think Fili has my pack. The blonde one we left waiting outside; my husband,” she supplied at Glindel’s confused look. “He took my pack while he was looking at my arm. It has a few extra clothes in it.”

“I’ll go get it, then. You finish undressing and wrap up in a towel over there if you want. I would rather have you wait for me before you get in; the bath is rather deep.” She pointed to the corner where shelves were attached to the wall, all stacked with towels. Anwynn nodded and Glindel left, closing the door quietly behind her.

Anwynn unwrapped the bindings around her chest and pulled off her smallclothes, laying them on top of her other clothes. She picked up one of the towels and wrapped it around herself, holding it closed with her hand. She went to stand by the pool, awkwardly staring around the room, waiting. She saw a number of glass bottles of all shapes and sizes filled with pretty-colored liquid. Washing cloths were close by the towels. Up against another wall were two chairs and a soft-looking sofa. Altogether, the place was very nice; quite relaxing. She was travelling on a journey with very little. Any opportunity for comforts was greatly welcome.

There was a gentle knock on the door, and once Anwynn bade come in, Glindel entered. The Elf had her spare clothes in her arms, and laid them on the floor away from her old, dirty clothes.

“Your poor husband,” she said, drawing the water. “When I walked out without you, I thought he would faint. The poor thing turned absolutely white.”

Anwynn smiled and felt a rush of affection for Fili. He must be really worried for it to show like that.

When the pool was filled, Anwynn shed the towel and Glindel helped her into the water. It felt glorious. The water was warm and Anwynn could almost feel herself floating away. In her bliss, she did not catch Glindel’s concerned look.

Anwynn laid in the water for a while before she felt Glindel’s fingers in her hair, taking out her braids and working up soap from one of the pretty bottles into a lather. She let herself sink into the feeling, thoroughly enjoying the scalp massage. Glendil rinsed her hair, then handed her a cloth and instructed her to use her good arm to wash herself. Meanwhile, the Elf went to washing her injured arm, carefully cleaning out the bite wound.

Once she was clean, Glindel helped Anwynn out and back into the towel. She was sat in a chair for her hair to dry while the Elf went to work on her arm. As it turned out, it was not as bad as Fili had made it seem. Only a few puncture marks, which Glindel dabbed a salve at and then covered with a bandage, winding it around Anwynn’s arm.

“There,” said the Elf, sitting back. “How does that feel?”

Anwynn clenched and unclenched her hand, flexing her arm.

“It feels great!” she cried, grinning. “Better than ever. Thank you!”

Glindel smiled, then began to speak again.

“I…I overheard your husband mention you were having stomach problems?” she asked hesitantly.

“Oh, it’s nothing. I just feel sick at night every now and then. Probably just from being in the saddle for so long.” What was one more lie, after all?

“Somehow, I do not think that is why,” said the Elf. “I noticed, when you were getting in the bath, your stomach…You are thin, but your stomach is rather round.”

Anwynn felt her heart drop. This was it. Someone knew. And she was going to tell Thorin, who would send her back immediately.

Glindel put her hand on Anwynn’s.

“Do you think you might…be with child?” she asked.

Anwynn stared at the floor.

“I don’t…No…Maybe.”

“Would you let me check? Nothing invasive, I assure you.”

Anwynn hesitated. She really did need to know, but at the same time, if she were carrying, what would happen? She absolutely did not want to go back. She refused to.

And she would not, no matter what Glindel told her.

“Alright,” she consented. “I need to know. I have suspected for a few weeks now, but I could not be sure. I have not bled in almost four months now, but that could be because I do not eat as much as I used to.”

Glindel hummed and nodded.

“Over here, if you will,” she said, taking Anwynn’s arm and leading her to the sofa. “Just lay down here, arms above your head, and relax.”

Anwynn did as she said, trying to breathe deeply and calm herself. However, her heart continued to pound in her chest, and her palms were becoming sweaty.

Glindel pulled the towel away from her stomach and hips, and laid her hands on the skin. Anwynn felt her gently press her palms and fingers into her lower stomach, moving around in a small area. She felt a certain amount of pressure that was uncomfortable but not altogether painful.

She looked down at herself and saw what Glindel had meant about her middle rounding. She was never very slender and her hips were wide, but her stomach had always been flat, if a bit fleshy. But now it was definitely bowing out, there was no mistaking it. She had never had a reason to notice it before; there was very little opportunity for bathing on the road.

Glindel straightened up and covered her again in the towel.

“Anwynn,” she said, looking her in the eyes,” I do not know if I give you good news or bad, but you are indeed with child.”

The world suddenly took a horrible turn to the right. The room would not hold still.

She felt Glindel put a warm hand on her shoulder and forced herself to take a deep breath. She had an answer. Now she had decisions to make. But first, she would like her clothes.

“My coat,” she wheezed out. Realizing how weak she sounded, she cleared her throat and tried again. “My coat, please. And—and my other things.”

“Of course,” said Glindel, bringing over Anwynn’s fresh clothes and helping her pull them on. Once her coat was on and fastened, she stood and made her way to the door, stopping when she reached it.

“Glindel,” she said, turning to face the Elf. “Please, I need you to keep this a secret. I will tell everyone when I feel the time is right, but until then, I need your word you will not tell a soul.”

“You have it,” the Elf said solemnly. “I just ask that you be careful. Good luck, Anwynn.”

Anwynn nodded and left the room. She walked down the hall, heart thudding. She had to tell Fili, but she had no idea how. You do not just walk up to your husband after running for your life and being wounded and tell him he is going to be a father. The shock would probably kill him!

She opened the large doors at the end of the hall and found Fili right where she had left him, sitting in a chair against the wall. He still looked pale, but brightened instantly when he saw her.

“My dove,” he said, springing up and hurrying over. He embraced her quickly and knocked their foreheads together gently. Her stomach pushed against Fili’s torso as he pulled her close, and she realized that together they were cradling their baby. In that moment, words failed her.

“How is your arm?” Fili said, pulling away and taking her arm. He pushed up her sleeves to look at it.

“It’s alright,” croaked Anwynn, finding her voice again. “Glindel fixed it up fine. Even gave me a bath. I almost feel like a person again.” She attempted a little laugh.

Fili seemed content with her bandages. He pulled her sleeves back down and took her arm gently in his.

“What about some food, eh?” he asked, leading her away. “Kili came by and the others have gone to dinner. I think it’s this way…”

With only two wrong turns, they made it to the large open dining area. It was just as beautiful as the other places Anwynn had seen in Rivendell. Stone tables with little rounded seats for the smaller guests. More vines, leaves, and flowers grew all along the dais. It was lovely.

As Fili led Anwynn down the table, she overheard Ori complaining about their dinner.

“Try it,” Dori coaxed. “Just a mouthful.”

“I don’t like green food,” Ori said petulantly. “Have they got any chips?”

Dori always mothered Ori. Always made sure he had enough to eat, was warm enough at night, that he brushed his teeth in the morning. Could Anwynn ever hope to measure up to that? There was going to be a little creature, a little _life_ , depending on her! Needing her! Could she make sure all its tiny little teeth did not rot and fall out?

Fili showed Anwynn to a chair at the table and she hopped up. She pulled a plate forward, suddenly realizing how hungry she was; between the trolls and the Orcs, they had not been able to eat breakfast or lunch.

She shoveled in to her salad, happy for the taste, whatever the rest of the Dwarves thought. She looked across to the other table and noticed Bifur, serenely nibbling on a daffodil. Well, here at least was one Dwarf who could appreciate green food. Bifur noticed her looking and gave her a surprisingly charming smile, yellow petals stuck between a few teeth. Anwynn returned it happily and continued eating, reaching for a bread roll.

She would tell Fili tonight. Try to. Yes, definitely try to. Attempt, anyway. And she would not do it on an empty stomach.

Once that looming task had been put aside, Anwynn began to tuck in and enjoy the atmosphere. Which was more than she could say for her companions.

“Change the tune, why don’t you?” exclaimed Nori exasperatedly, shoving his finger in his ear in an attempt to block out the harp music. “I feel like I’m at a funeral!”

“Did somebody die?” piped up Oin, napkin-clogged trumpet in his ear.

“Alright lads,” said Bofur, a twinkle in his eye, “there’s only one thing for it.” And in a flash, he had hopped up on the table, arms held wide, and let loose a tune.

_“Theeeeeeere’s aaaaaaaaaan inn, there’s an inn, there’s a merry ole inn_

_Beneath an ole gray hill._

_And there they brew a beer so brown_

_The Man in the Moon himself came down_

_One night to drink his fill._

_Oooooh, the ostler has a tipsy cat_

_Who plays a five-string fiddle,_

_And up and down he saws his bow,_

_Now squeaking hiiiiiigh,_

_Now purring loooooow,_

_Now sawing in the middle._

_Soooo the cat and the fiddle play hey diddle diddle,_

_A drink that’ll wake the dead._

_He squeaked and he sawed and he quickened the tune_

_And the landlord shook the Man in the Moon,_

_‘It’s after three,’ he said!”_

All of the Dwarves were singing and stomping along, and even Thorin’s foot was tapping away appreciatively. Anwynn clapped out the beat with everyone else and pretended to swoon when Bofur began to play the imaginary fiddle. At some point during the song everyone had taken to throwing their unwanted vegetables at the miner. Which was all in good fun until Kili, who was typically a little slow on the uptake, waited until the song had finished to lob a rather explosive food-something towards one of the Elves. Anwynn thought she heard Dwalin chuckle something about “thought that one wasn’t so bad,” and a very distinct “shut it” from Kili.

That night, Lord Elrond guided them to a large outdoor alcove. Here, the Dwarves would be allowed to stay the night. There was comfortable furniture, a water basin, a small pit for a fire, and enough room for everyone to lie down and stretch out.

Originally, only Thorin was to be given a private room, as he was the leader. However, once Lord Elrond learned that there was a married couple in the Company, he was kind enough to provide a private room for them as well.

They all gathered on the alcove for a few hours, reconnecting and having a rest. The Elves had decided to break out some meat for the Dwarves and had brought out sausages along with bread.

They sat together near the fire in the fading light. Oin had checked over every other member of the Company once they were safely inside Rivendell and would not rest until he had seen to Anwynn as well. No one else had been severely injured, only cuts and scrapes. After a quick once-over, Oin declared Anwynn as healthy as anyone else and let her be, patting her on the head as he walked away.

Kili stuck close to Anwynn’s side as they sat. She reached over and squeezed two of his fingers in a reassuring gesture. He just rested his head on her shoulder and she scratched his head, as if he actually were a puppy. She knew this was Kili reassuring himself that all were safe and sound. Touch like this was as much a comforting gesture for Dwarves as it was affectionate; he just needed to be sure his sister was alright. She figured that when Kili stopped by earlier as she was with Glindel, he stayed longer than to just tell Fili about dinner. And if she had stepped out sooner, she was sure she would have found Kili sitting on the floor, leaning against his brother’s leg, Fili’s hand running through his hair. Anwynn had accepted a long time ago that the brothers were very dependent on one another, and to marry Fili also meant taking in Kili.

It was not long before dark had completely fallen, and Thorin and Balin stood up.

“We are meeting with Gandalf and Elrond to read the map,” said Thorin. “The Elf believes it to be some sort of moon language, and has asked us to meet him tonight. Bilbo, I would appreciate it if you would accompany us. This may be information that you will need.”

Bilbo scrambled up from his place by the fire to follow Thorin and Balin. Anwynn knew that, while Bilbo might indeed need to know what the map said in order to sneak into the mountain, it was also Thorin’s grudging way of trying to offer friendship. But since it was grudgingly offered, it was doubtful anything would come of it. _Shame_ , she thought, _Bilbo is such a nice little man._

When they had gone, everyone else decided it would be a good time to sleep. So Fili and Anwynn said their goodnights to everyone and retired to their room.

Anwynn tried all the way to the room to form the words she needed, but they never came. In through the door, into her underthings, under the covers, and still nothing. Eventually she decided to just leave it until tomorrow and kissed Fili goodnight, then fell immediately to sleep. This had been happening unbeknownst to either of them going on four months now, what was one more night?

Gandalf, Thorin, and Bilbo all excused themselves after breakfast the next morning to various other activities like exploring or holding council. Anwynn and the other Dwarves were left to occupy themselves, which meant gorging on food and wine, as well as—

“WOOHOO!”

Anwynn only felt the splash on the back of her head, as she was determined to keep her eyes forward. Behind her, twelve Dwarves were in various states of nakedness and were making no efforts to hide it.

 Her wonderful husband ( _Who will be a father sometime in the near future_ , she reminded herself while rolling her eyes) was using the beautiful Elven fountain as a water slide. As was his brother. And Bombur (and that was a sight Anwynn never wanted to see again). The others were using it as a pool and bath. And they were all _naked!_ As blue jays! As the days they were born! Somewhere to her far left she heard a towel snap and Bofur give a yelp, followed quickly by Nori’s sniggering. Anwynn put her face in her hands; there was a lot she could deal with, very few things embarrassed her. But this did it.

When she lifted her head again, she found herself looking right at Lord Elrond and Lindir, who were both staring at her companions desecrating their lovely fountain with utter shock. Anwynn could only shrug and give a half-hearted and very apologetic smile before dropping her face back into her hands.

She knew she should have gone off exploring with Bilbo.

It was a miracle the Elves agreed to feed the Dwarves dinner at all.

After dinner they all made their way back to the alcove. They passed the evening quietly, eating their sausages and washing their clothes. Anwynn’s had been taken by the Elves to be cleaned, but she still helped the others with beating and hanging up whatever they had wanted washed. Except Nori’s; Mahal only knew what had crawled up his underthings and died.

Finally building up her courage, Anwynn grabbed Fili’s hand and gestured that she wished to retire to their room. He was up in a minute, telling Kili and the others goodnight. Anwynn tried not to feel too guilty at Kili’s disappointed look; he was to be left out with the other Dwarves two nights in a row now. But really, she had big news to drop, and privacy would be much appreciated. She patted his head on her way out, her way of saying “sorry.”

The door was shut and locked, and Fili turned to her with mischief in his eye. Anwynn knew what he was thinking: they were alone, in a private room, with a nice comfy bed, at night and for the first time in weeks they were not about to drop from exhaustion. However, things needed to be said first, and whatever else was to happen would come later.

“Fili,” she said, trying not to let her voice shake, “I need you to sit down. There’s something I need to tell you.”

The glint left Fili’s eye and he went to sit on the bed. Anwynn tried to decide between standing in front of him or sitting beside him. She decided to sit, not entirely sure how long her legs would hold once she started. Folding her hands in her lap, she continued.

“This is probably not the best time or the place to tell you, but you need to know. You know how I’ve been sick since we left the Blue Mountains? And my back has been hurting and I can’t stand the smell of anything anymore? Well, there’s a reason, and it’s not from travel like I’ve been saying.”

Fili was staring at her now, worry all over his face. _Oh no, he probably thinks I have some deadly disease,_ Anwynn thought _._ She took his hands gently in both of hers and tried to give him a small reassuring smile.

“Fili, it’s not that bad. Please, don’t look like that,” she said softly. “It’s actually something good. We would celebrate it if we were back home. No, I’m…”

She felt that burning sensation in her nose even as her eyes blurred with tears. They had both waited so long for this moment, but here it was and she was dreading it. It would be so much less problematic if it had happened later, or sooner; just not right now.

“Fili, I’m going to have a baby.”

There. She had said it. It was out now, and whatever happened, happened.

Fili was still staring at her. Nothing about him had changed, except he was now very pale. He was suddenly breathing very hard. Anwynn put her hand to his cheek, afraid he would faint.

“Fili?” she called out lightly. “Hello? Are you there?”

Oh no. Good Mahal, she had broken her husband.

She held his face in both of her hands now, but he still did not respond. She gently thumped a thumb against his cheek.

Finally, he spoke.

“Baby,” he said slowly. “There’s a baby. Going—going to be a baby. You’re going to have a baby.”

“That’s right,” she gently coaxed, glad he was speaking now. “We’re going to have a baby.”

“It’s mine?!” he yelped, wide-eyed.

Anwynn shoved him, offended.

“Whose did you think it was?” she asked angrily, crossing her arms and balling her hands into fists.

“No one’s,” he said in a dazed voice. “I-I don’t know.” He finally noticed how upset she was and shook his head. “No, no, I don’t think you’ve been with anyone else. It’s just—I’m going to be a father!”

And he lunged at her, throwing his arms around her middle and burying her face into his neck, laughing his head off.

“Father!” he shouted happily. “I’ll be Da! Ahaha! Brilliant!”

He hugged her tightly and Anwynn laughed brightly. They had waited for so long.

As soon as they were married, they had begun trying for a child. Neither wished to speak of it, but they both knew full well that Anwynn would grow old and gray and die long before Fili hit middle age. It meant their window to conceive was, to Fili, incredibly short. So month after month, they tried and failed, for three years. Eventually, they had started to accept that they just might not ever be able to have children. And it was this thinking that, when the journey to reclaim Erebor had come about and Anwynn was allowed to go, let them both throw caution to the wind and not give a thought to any consequences of their, erm, _fun_.

Fili held her a little longer, and then pulled away. His face was set.

“You have to go back,” he said. “You have to go back to the Blue Mountains.”

“No,” said Anwynn simply. “I am going nowhere except ahead.”

Fili was about to argue, but Anwynn cut him off.

“I cannot and will not go back,” she said, staring him in the eyes. “I fought like hell to be allowed to come with you all. Because I knew I could not stand to be at home doing nothing but waiting and worrying. You know me, my love. You know I am never one to sit idly by when I can be of use.”

“But you’re pregnant!” Fili exclaimed. “You’re going to have a baby! All it would take is one Orc axe, a second of dragon fire, hell, a short fall off a horse, and you’d be gone! Both of you!”

“Fili, any of those things could happen anyway. And to any of us, not just me. The only difference is now we know I’m carrying a little extra.”

“‘A little extra’?” he said, looking at her in astonishment. “That’s _our child_ you’re carrying! Into battle! Mahal…” He put his head in his hands and pushed the heels into his eyes. “Look. Before, it was just us. Now there’s someone else, someone who already means the world to me and I’ve known about them for all of three minutes. And it scares me to death to think that anything could happen to either of you.”

“I know that,” said Anwynn, “believe me, I do. I’m not trying to go to my death or anything. But you need to understand, I never have been one to stay at home and let the men do the fighting. I never will be. Where my family goes, I go.”

“Anwynn—”

“Besides, you know I’m almost as stubborn as Thorin,” she said with a smirk. “And you know that if you send me back now, I will turn right around again and follow you. So what will it be?”

“Damn,” Fili swore in defeat, hanging his head. He _did_ know how stubborn she was, and he knew she would do exactly what she promised. So it was either agree to let her stay and keep her safe within the group, or she sets out on her own to face any danger by herself. “Fine. I concede. Just…just be careful, alright? And if you feel anything wrong or need any kind of help, say so. It’s all I ask.”

Anwynn grinned.

“Aye,” she said. “I can do that.”

She put a hand to his cheek and brought him in for a kiss. When they broke apart, he looked at her sheepishly.

“Would you mind…” he started, then faltered. “Can…can I feel?”

“Of course!”

Anwynn took his hand and pressed it to her lower stomach, holding it there.

“There isn’t really anything there yet,” she said. “If I counted right, I should be almost at four months, so I don’t have much to show.”

She felt him push lightly against her, and then thinking he had hurt her, he abruptly tried to draw away. She held him still, rubbing circles on his hand with her thumb.

“You’re fine,” she reassured. “A little press isn’t going to hurt. I did kill an Orc only yesterday, after all.”

“And a Warg, too, if I remember right,” Fili smirked. “Damn, a Da. I’m going to be a dad. And you’re a mum! Hey, it finally happened! We’re finally going to have a dwarfling!” He grinned at her, obviously thrilled.

Anwynn smiled at him fondly and kissed him.

“A baby all our own,” she said. Now that she had told Fili and had been assured she was staying with the Company, the excitement and giddiness was coming forward. She could almost see a squirming little thing held between them, fat fists flailing, with Fili’s nose. The picture made her heart swell.

And all of a sudden, the mischievous glint was back in Fili’s eye. He moved his hand from Anwynn’s stomach to her thigh.

“Well, since we’re alone, in a room, with a bed,” he purred, “why don’t we…you know…”

“Fili, you’re eighty-two!” Anwynn teased, smacking his chest. “Surely you can say it!”

Fili only grinned and leaned closer.

“Whatever,” he rumbled lowly, quirking his eyebrow. “Want to?”

“I don’t see why not,” Anwynn laughed, grabbing his coat and pulling him closer. “I mean, what’s the harm? I’m already pregnant.”


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Thorin and Company escape, err, leave Rivendell; there is a lot of walking (because it wouldn't be a Tolkien-Jackson work if there weren't); and Fili has some family feels. Try saying that five times fast. Also, Kili is an adorable little brother-in-law.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm planning on making updates every Tuesday, but since I just took my PRAXIS II exam and it is officially over, I thought I'd treat all of us and post another chapter.  
> I do have a scene mapped out in my head where everyone finds about Anwynn's "little extra," but it's not ready for public viewing yet. Little more tweaking and I should have it. Along with various and hilarious reactions from the Company.  
> Thank you, all who have commented, kudos'd, and bookmarked! I know OC stories aren't necessarily the most popular, but I love the encouragement and hearing what you all have to say. So, thank you!

There was a gentle but firm knock on the door in the small hours of the morning, waking both Fili and Anwynn.

“Who the hell is that?” Fili muttered sleepily, sitting up. When the knocking became more insistent, he threw a sheet over Anwynn and struggled to wrap another around his waist as he hurried to the door.

Anwynn was trying to pull the tossed sheet from her face when the door opened and she heard Thorin’s hurried whispers.

“Gandalf has advised us to leave now, before the sun rises,” he said lowly. “I will explain it all later. Right now there are people here who would see our quest stopped. Gandalf has given word for us to leave immediately and wait for him in the mountains. Get yourselves dressed and packed, and meet everyone outside. Hurry.”

Fili said a quick “Yes, Uncle,” and the door was shut again. Anwynn pulled the sheet off and began to gather her clothes, pulling them on as she found them. Once she was dressed, she went about stuffing their packs as Fili found his own clothes. She was just about to saddle both their packs and head out the door when Fili took her elbow and pulled her back.

“Your hair,” he said, running a hand through her chestnut locks. “Let me braid it again before we leave. It’ll keep it out of your face as we go.”

Anwynn sighed and nodded, sitting back down on the bed. She reached her hand into her coat pocket and pulled out the little silver beads, handing them to Fili.

“Same as before, then?” he asked, taking the beads and settling behind her.

“Yes,” she said, closing her eyes. “Just how your mother did them. Two from one side, one from the other, and then put them together.”

Fili nodded and went to work. Despite his thick Dwarven fingers, he was quite adept at twisting and turning small strands of hair together.

It was a Dwarven fashion statement to decorate one’s hair, usually based on one’s personality and whatever they found appealing. Dori was quite a fussy person, so his braids were very intricate and stylized. Nori’s flamboyant hairstyle only proved exactly how much he liked to exaggerate and show off. Poor Ori was quite sheltered and coddled, so Dori cut his hair using a salad bowl and plaited some of the longer strands with Ori’s favorite color, lavender. Kili was usually very hyper and excitable and could not be bothered to take time to braid his hair; instead he clipped it back out of his face with the clasp Anwynn had made him years earlier and went about his business.

The beads and jewelry the Dwarves chose to decorate their hair with were basically just a way for them to show off. Gloin was fairly wealthy and proud, and he liked to show this by putting as much shiny stuff in his beard as he could. Poor Bofur was a simple miner and had no real money to his name, so his hair and beard went unadorned. Thorin, while he did not wear much of anything, had a few beads of silver that had belonged to his father and younger brother, as well as a larger gold bead; not many other Dwarves could afford to melt down gold and make a trinket for hair, but it was an heirloom of Thorin’s from wealthier times in Erebor.

When Anwynn had first arrived in the Blue Mountains, she had taken to tying her hair back with a bit of leather or making one long plait on particularly windy days. However, on her wedding day, Dis had taken her aside once her dress was on and made a simple but pretty style, then attached her veil. Two braids were made from above her right ear and allowed to drape until they met a braid from above her left ear and came together not far behind the ear and made one long plait while the rest of her hair was left free. Anwynn had loved the braids so much she made them her daily style. And the beads Dis had given to secure them made her feel like she was carrying a bit of the woman with her.

Fili finished braiding her hair and they shared a quick kiss. She felt him reach around her and press his hand to her belly, giving it an affectionate rub. They were going off to encounter Valar knew what, but at least they were going to face it together.

They shouldered their packs and left the room, walking down to the alcove to meet the others.

Kili was standing off to the side, leaning against a wall and looking like he very dearly missed his sleep. His eyes were red and bleary and his hair stuck out every which way. While Fili went off to discuss their early escape with Thorin and Balin, Anwynn made her way to Kili.

“Morning,” she said quietly.

Kili did nothing but blink slowly. Anwynn rolled her eyes and walked behind him. She took out his metalwork clasp and combed through his unruly hair as best she could with her fingers. He had such lovely hair, it was a shame he did not take better care of it. When it was washed and dried it was so soft, and both she and Dis loved to run their fingers through it. Kili always blushed and spluttered he was not a baby anymore and to stop petting him.

As she pulled Kili’s hair back from his face and secured it with the clasp, she was struck that aside from she and Fili becoming parents, Kili was going to be an uncle. Like Thorin was to the boys, only hopefully less angry and grumpy. She smiled at the thought of Kili cradling her and Fili’s baby, making funny faces and singing to it off-key. She also imagined him throwing it in the air and trying to catch it—from here the sweet day dream took a rather gruesome turn and Anwynn swore to never let Kili out of her sight when he held her child. Rule Number One: always keep at least one hand on the baby while holding it.

She patted his head when his hair was back and Kili gave a start.

“When did you get here?” he asked sleepily. His eyes were still a little unfocused.

“I’ve been here,” she said simply, rolling her eyes again. “Do you have your pack stuffed?”

In reply he held up his pack by the strap, upside down, and yawned.

“Perfect,” she deadpanned, taking it from him and righting it before slipping it on his shoulder. Fili made his way over as she secured it to his back along with his bow and quiver of arrows.

“We’re off in a bit,” Fili said, watching his wife and brother with amusement. “We’re just waiting for Bilbo. He’s gone off somewhere for something. Shouldn’t be long.”

No sooner had the words left his mouth than Bilbo appeared, his arms full of things.

“I’m back,” he cried softly, trying to stay quiet in the early morning. “I’ve just been off to find the kitchens and storage rooms. Thought we might need to refresh our larders, so I’ve nicked us a bit. I don’t think the Elves will miss much.”

He laid out his haul on the wooden ground and they saw all he had taken. There were fruits and vegetables and cheeses, a few loaves of bread, some dried meet, and he had refilled a few skins with water.

Thorin gave Bilbo a genuine grin and ordered for everyone to stuff as much as they could into their packs, and take a small bit to eat on their way out.

As Fili stepped forward to retrieve food for them, Anwynn clapped Bilbo cheerfully on the shoulders.

“Good on you, Bilbo!” she congratulated. “Glad you remembered we’ll need more food on the road. Thank you!”

Bilbo returned her smile, obviously proud of himself.

Fili returned with food and started to pack both his and Anwynn’s bags. Anwynn took some of the food to stuff into Kili’s pack for him as it stayed on his back; she had put enough work into getting it on him in the first place, she was not about to take it off again.

Once all packs were filled and shouldered again (Fili had the addition of the Company shovel; Thorin still had him digging the holes for the bathroom as punishment for his tasteless joke on the cliff ledge), they made off.

Quietly they made their way through the winding trails of Rivendell until they made it to the bridge and crossed. Up the steep stairs they went until they were once again at the passageway they had burst from the day before.

Anwynn took a moment to turn and remember the beauty of Rivendell, then went ahead again, taking Fili’s offered hand as she trudged up the last few stairs. Behind her, she heard Thorin urging Bilbo to hurry and assumed he was trying to commit the splendor to memory as well. She did not blame him; while the Dwarves marveled at rock and stone, she and Bilbo were at heart children of the trees and grass and sky.

It was a long trek back through the plains they had run over the day earlier. However, instead of heading back towards the forest and stone Trolls, they made their way over the plains in the opposite direction.

The sparse grass and rocks carried on for as far as Anwynn could see. It was July now, and the sun was beating down on them with every step. When they had first started walking, the Dwarves had been humming and singing: songs of their ancestors, songs of battles and wars past, songs that Bofur and Nori and Dwalin had picked up from various seedy taverns. Now, however, all conversation had stopped. They were all focused on putting one foot in front of the other and not falling over from the heat.

It was not until just now that the Company gave a thought to just how useful ponies actually were. Their feet were sore and Bofur was clutching at a stitch in his side, dragging his mattock tiredly behind him. Anwynn took a moment to hope that Windy had found a nice farmer family to take her in and take care of her. She had loved that horse.

The light dwindled slowly and eventually failed into night. They had reached the top of a hill scattered with large rocks and Thorin agreed to rest here for the night. Everyone set about their normal tasks and camp was eventually set up.

There were no trees near them, so Gloin used a bit of his (Elven furniture) kindling supply to make a fire for supper. It was a slim vegetable broth, using very little in an effort to make their food last. No one knew when they would have a chance to get more.

Fili took his and Anwynn’s bowls, Kili behind him with his own, and they made their way over to the base of the rock where Anwynn was resting. Fili sat down and handed her one of the bowls. He glanced at it and frowned.

“Not much, is it?” he asked.

“No, but we do need to preserve food,” said Anwynn, digging out their spoons from her pack. She took hers and passed the other two down. Kili immediately dug into his bowl, but Fili continued to stare, frown growing.

“What?” Anwynn asked. Was there a bug or something in her food?

Without warning, Fili lifted his bowl and tipped some of his broth into hers.

“What was that for?” Anwynn exclaimed. “You need to eat, too!”

“I’m feeding my family,” said Fili lowly, staring ahead into the night. “I might not be able to do much out here for you, but I can do this. Now eat, we need to sleep soon.”

Anwynn stared for a moment, unsure of what to say. Eventually she nodded her head slowly and began to eat. If he felt like he needed to do this, then she would let him.

All three ate quietly and Fili took their bowls to rinse out when the other two were finished. Kili, for once was not in a very talkative mood; he apparently preferred for his arse to be numb on a pony than his legs to ache from walking.

When everyone was fed, Thorin called them all to the fire and explained the map reading two nights before. The door would appear at the end of Durin’s Day and they could enter the mountain. They had around five months to make it to the Lonely Mountain and wait for the door to reveal itself. As they had no idea of what else they would face on their journey, time was of the essence.

With the news given and everyone asleep on their feet, Thorin sent everyone to bed and he and Balin took the first watch.

Anwynn settled down in her usual place between Fili and Kili. She pulled the blanket tight around her, trying not to shiver; with the sun gone it had gotten quite cold and her clothes, damp from sweat, were freezing. Fili lay down beside her and immediately gathered her to him. He threw one arm around her middle and the other hand found its way to her belly, cradling the small lump it found. Anwynn understood; it was his way of keeping close what he needed to protect.

Her exhaustion hit her suddenly and she knew sleep would come quickly. She vaguely realized she had not felt sick at all tonight, or the few nights prior, and a memory called forward of her mother mentioning that by the fourth month, sickness faded away.

Happy with this realization, Anwynn put her hand over Fili’s under the blankets and let herself be lulled to sleep.


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They're in the Misty Mountains, we get some family fluff, and then come the Stone Giants...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For those that celebrate, Merry Christmas Eve! And for those that don't, Happy Tuesday!

After almost four days of walking the Misty Mountains were finally in sight. Here they were to wait and meet with Gandalf again.

“Be careful,” Balin warned them as they began the trail into the mountains. “This is territory for Orcs and Goblins. Keep your guard up.”

The climb was fairly steep and soon enough they were high in the mountains, trying not to look down. The ground underneath them was harder than ever and their feet were aching, but at least the sun was not so harsh here and it was cooler.

They stopped to make camp on the mountainside before dark. The mountains could be tricky and Thorin did not want to risk running into something by travelling further without the light of day. A small fire was going again, trying not to deplete Gloin’s kindling, and dinner was once again a small affair. As Fili had every night since they left Rivendell, he tipped part of his supper into Anwynn’s bowl. She had learned that protesting did no good and had to admit that she did need the extra food.

After supper, everyone still had some energy, so they gathered around the fire to chat and pass the time. The older members of the group lit their pipes and leaned back against the rock, happy to enjoy a somewhat relaxed atmosphere for a night. Some took to cleaning and sharpening their weapons, and Bifur and Bofur began to carve more toys they would sell once they reached they next town.

Gloin started to regale anyone who would listen about his strong little Gimli. It was obvious that Gloin was proud of his son and missed him dearly. As he went on about Gimli’s talents and exploits, Anwynn felt Fili squirm next to her, muttering.

“Bet you mine will be better,” he murmured. “Gimli’s fine, but mine will beat him at anything.”

Anwynn just smiled. Gimli was the light of Gloin’s life and he often called him the pinnacle of Dwarven perfection. Fili was competitive and had always thought his younger cousin a little obnoxious; it was only natural that he would think his child would be better than Gimli.

To calm her husband before he accidentally let their secret out (they had agreed that letting the others know right now was not the best idea if they wanted Anwynn to remain with the Company; eventually it would be too obvious to hide, but they would cross that bridge when they came to it), she resorted to the thing he loved most; she scratched his beard. It was almost like scratching a cat under the chin. Fili loved it.

She scratched lightly at his bearded chin, and Fili instantly melted into her hand, purring. He closed his eyes and rubbed his cheek into her wrist. Anwynn tried not to giggle as he did this; her big strong warrior had become a very pliable kitten. The same trick worked on Kili in a pinch, she had discovered, except he preferred to be scratched behind his ears.

That night, all of the Company went to bed in fairly high spirits. While most laid down near the fire, Fili and Anwynn took a little spot farther away from everyone else. They were alone, as Kili had first watch with Bofur.

The two were lying pressed against each other, sharing their blankets. They faced each other, and Fili was cradling her belly in his hands, running his thumbs over the sides.

“I still can’t believe this,” he whispered, grinning like a madman.

“Well believe it,” Anwynn whispered back, kissing his nose and giggling. “In a few months’ time, we’ll have a baby all our own. You might have a son!”

Fili was quiet for a moment, thinking. Then he shook his head.

“Huh-uh,” he whispered, staring down at her stomach. “I want a daughter. A little girl with her mother’s wit and spirit, and my brains and brawn. She’ll be a great fighter, and have a love of adventuring. And I suppose her Uncle Kili’s sense of humor.”

Anwynn smiled and shuddered at the same time; all the practical jokes those three would pull.

“That sounds wonderful,” she said, placing her hands over his. “But why not a son? You will need an heir.”

“That’s why I don’t want a son. At least not yet, anyway. As a young boy, I had so much responsibility and so many expectations thrust upon me. Learning to fight and learning diplomacy and how to rule. I was never really allowed to be just a child. I don’t want my son to have to feel that weight on him, all the time. Not now, when Erebor will be so fragile. Later, when our kingdom is more stable and secure, I would love nothing more than to have a son.” He took her hands and kissed them, asking and promising at the same time.

“And I would love nothing more than to give you one,” she whispered, answering his silent question.

Fili rolled onto his back, one arm under his head, the other cradling Anwynn to his side, rubbing her back.

“Now, a little girl,” he whispered, pride for his unborn maybe-daughter evident. “I can see our daughter running through the stone corridors, leading all the guards in a reluctant game of chase. She’d be smart as a whip, one of Balin’s prize students. Out on the training grounds early, eager to learn how to fight. And she’d be allowed to be a child. She can have sweets if she wants them—”

“Only one,” Anwynn cut in, poking him in the side. “And only after she’s eaten real food.”

“Right,” Fili nodded, continuing. “Or whenever she gives her gullible uncle puppy eyes. Bifur and Bofur will make her toys enough to fill a playroom. Dwalin will be wrapped around her little finger. And Thorin, in his usual gruff way, will fall instantly in love with her and dote on her every chance he gets.”

Anwynn had a sudden image of Thorin lifting a little girl with brown hair up on his shoulder and parading her around the dinner table, then handing her a cookie and she plants a sloppy kiss on his cheek. She could not help but laugh.

“You really think Thorin will dote on her?” she asked, giggling.

“Oh, of course,” said Fili seriously, though he was grinning as well. “It’ll be Erebor’s little princess. Whatever she wants, she gets. Including anything Great Uncle Thorin, King Under the Mountain can provide. Honestly, I can imagine her as a little you. But maybe with my ears. Who could not adore that?”

Anwynn and Fili both went to sleep that night with smiles on their faces, their dreams filled with small girls, running around and leading their loving uncles of the Company by their beards.

The next day they were once again up early and continuing into the mountains. Things passed without event until a storm suddenly came upon them.

The ledge they were traversing was extremely narrow, and they had to continue on sideways. The rain was pouring down, drenching their hoods and clothes completely through. Anwynn’s hair hung limp from her hood, sticking to her face. Her hands clung to the rock face with every step she took. To her right, Kili and Fili were moving in much the same way. Dwarves were more accustomed to moving around on stone, but the boys had been born on the outside of the Blue Mountains, and were less sure-footed than their elders.

Lightening cracked and the thunder that immediately followed gave them all a start.

“Hold on!” she heard Thorin shout from somewhere in front of her.

Suddenly, part of the rock gave way and crumbled, and their burglar slipped into the chasm. Anwynn saw him tumble and made a motion to grab him, even though she would never make it in time, but he was saved by Dwalin, who snatched him up and set him on firmer ground.

Thorin shouted again, but it was lost to her as Dwalin yelled.

“Watch out!”

A massive boulder was flying through the air, right towards them. It hit the rock face above them, sending a shower of stone down on them. Anwynn threw her arms over her head and felt the sharp, heavy rocks rain down.

“This is no thunderstorm,” shouted Balin, shielding his eyes from the rain. “It’s a thunder battle! Look!”

And as Anwynn looked, she saw a huge humanoid figure, made entirely of rock, pull itself from the side of the mountain and begin to move. Around them, more and more were beginning to form and pull away from the rock.

“Well bless me,” Bofur was yelling in awe. “The legends are true! Giants! Stone giants!”

As another boulder was hurled their way, Anwynn threw out a hand and pulled the miner back against the mountainside before he was knocked off.

 _Apparently everyone is bound and determined to get themselves killed today,_ she thought with an internal sigh as everyone jostled around again and some changed places. _Stop trying to fall off!_

Just then, the narrow ledge on which they were standing began to shake and crack.

“What’s happening?!” Kili cried next to her.

She turned just in time to see the ground between Kili and Fili crack and begin to separate. Both boys threw their hands out to one another but not quite far enough to reach.

“Kili! Grab my hand! Anwynn!” Fili shouted, trying desperately to reach them, thinking his brother and wife were the ones in danger.

Kili made an attempt to catch his brother’s hand, but the stone came loose and Fili and the others flew away before he could make it. Anwynn, in a fit of panic, tried to jump out to Fili, but Kili grabbed her and pushed her back to the mountainside before she could.

“No!” he shouted above the din. He had her pinned with one arm by her chest.

She could only watch in horror as the new stone giant made its way into battle, carrying her husband and half of the Company with it. She could see him clearly, blonde hair flying and his face white as he scrabbled to find something to hold onto. The giant had barely made it into the fight before it was chinned by another and fell slowly. Anwynn watched, numb with terror, as its knee, with all the Dwarves clinging desperately to it, smashed into the rock.

She heard Thorin shouting, but could not make anything out. There was an odd ringing in her ears and she felt her knees give way. Everything took on a misty quality and she could not move.

 _No_ , was her singular thought.

“ _NO_!” and her scream joined Thorin’s.

Her eyes stared at the spot where Fili and the others had impacted. They had just found out about the baby. He could not be dead.

She felt the ground below her tremble again and someone gripped her shoulder. She looked and realized that the ledge they were on had swung and made contact with more solid ground. Kili had a grip on her coat, trying to pull her to safety. She came to her senses and clambered to her feet, letting Kili half drag her.

Ahead of them, they heard the others yelling again.

“They’re okay!” Dwalin shouted.

Anwynn hurried to catch up and peered over the others’ heads. Indeed, looking dazed but mostly unharmed, were the lost Dwarves.

“We’re alright! We’re alive!” Balin called, but Anwynn only had eyes for Fili. He looked bemused but uninjured, sitting on top of Bombur. Anwynn felt lightheaded with relief; she could have fainted there if Kili were not still gripping her arm. Instead she just sagged against him, her heart still hammering and tears streaming down her face.

“Where’s Bilbo?” called Bofur suddenly, looking around in panic. “Where’s the Hobbit?”

Terror rose up in Anwynn again. _Not the Halfling!_ She looked around frantically but could not find him among the others.

“There!” yelled Oin, pointing to the edge of the cliff. Bilbo’s hands could just be seen, clinging to the rock.

“Get him!” Dwalin shouted, and those closest dived, trying to reach Bilbo. Ori came close, but his arms were just too short. Bilbo tried to grab on but slipped and fell, catching onto another jagged rock lower down the mountain.

Without hesitating, Thorin pushed his way through and threw himself over the side. He grabbed onto Bilbo and roughly hauled him up, pushing him over so that the others could pull him the rest of the way. Thorin made to follow, but slipped. Anwynn grabbed Bilbo and pulled him out of the way so that Dwalin could drop down and rescue their king.

Once everyone was safely on solid ground again, Dwalin made to lighten the mood.

“I thought we had lost our burglar,” he joked gruffly.

“He’s been lost ever since he left home,” Thorin spit out cruelly. “He should never have come. He has no place amongst us.”

Anwynn held the little Hobbit, trying to soothe him. He was shaking, and if she noticed his grip on her coat a little tighter than it might be on a pleasant sunny day, she did not mention it. However, as much sympathy she had for Bilbo and as much as she cared about his wellbeing, there was someone else she needed to check on. So she passed Bilbo on to Bofur and ran to find Fili.

“Fili!” she cried, wrapping her arms around his neck. She pulled back quickly and held him at arms’ length, looking him over. “Are you alright? Are you hurt?”

“I’m okay,” he said, pulling her back to him. “Just shaken. How are you?” He furtively snaked his hand to her belly, pressing gently.

“Same,” she said shortly, giving him one last squeeze before they broke apart. Kili approached and threw his arms around Fili, knocking their foreheads together. They broke apart quickly, but Anwynn could tell both were still greatly shaken. But they all put their feelings aside to help lug Bombur to his feet.

Thorin and Dwalin had found a cave, and they all crowded in. There would be no fire tonight, and they would leave as quickly as they could in the morning. The plan to meet Gandalf had been scrapped; he would meet them on the other side of the mountains if he met them at all.

Fili, Kili, and Anwynn found a spot off to the side of the cave and immediately lay down. The three snuggled together closer than they ever had, but none of the others would ever say anything about it. The feeling of losing your family was something that had affected them all, and no one would begrudge the three this comfort. As they lay huddled together, Thorin approached them and gently laid a hand on each of their heads, lingering a little longer on Fili. He had almost lost his nephew, or course he was feeling a little sentimental. As soon as his hand lifted from Fili, he was gone again, just like that. Back to stoic Thorin Oakenshield, King under the Mountain.

Anwynn was pressed into Fili’s chest, and Kili had pushed himself into her back. One of her hands held Fili’s, and the other twisted awkwardly behind her to press against the side of Kili’s face. All three were still soaked from the storm and cold. Anwynn could still feel the debris in her hair from the boulders crashing over them. Every time she closed her eyes, she could see Fili flying away, see the terror on his face. So she kept her eyes open, resigned to getting no rest tonight. Instead, she found herself in a sort of daze, staring at the dark cave wall.

She was vaguely aware of Bilbo getting up and walking to the mouth of the cave, then having hushed words with Bofur. However, it was not until she heard Thorin bellowing in the quiet of the cave that she snapped out of her stupor.

“Wake up! _Wake up!_ ”

Before anyone could get their wits about them, the middle of the floor crumbled and opened up. All of the Dwarves rolled right into it and found themselves plunging down. Anwynn had managed to keep a grip on Fili’s coat, and now he had somehow wrapped himself around her, shielding her from the hard sides of the chute.

Anwynn felt every bump when they glanced off the side of the chute or hit the odd rock, and heard Fili’s muffled grunts as he took the brunt of the impact. Around her, she was aware of Bilbo and the other Dwarves hollering as they all continued to fall farther down.

Eventually, they came to an abrupt end. Luckily for her and Fili, Dori, Gloin, and Thorin had landed before them, so their landing was softened a bit. Anwynn poked her head out to take in their surroundings; a large platform with stiff, wooden pikes that looked far too much like a cage for her liking.

However, she did not have long to look. There was a great rumbling and shouting and suddenly, a horde of Goblins were upon them.


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Just when they have finally settled down from the Stone Giants, now they face Goblins.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy New Year, everyone! Thank you everyone who has given this little story a shot, and to those who have commented and kudos'd!  
> Note: I know he's actually the Great Goblin, but I typed Goblin King once and went with it, and by the time I discovered my mistake I had written the entire chapter. Whoops. So, he's the Goblin King here. He does wear a crown-thing after all. Also, there's a scene in here from the extended edition, if no one's seen it yet, this is your heads up.

The Goblin horde rushed at them, and Anwynn felt the terror rise in her chest. Fili had a fraction of a second to push her behind him before long, boney arms grabbed at them. Thorin turned and reached for his nephews, but was seized and pulled away without making contact. Disgusting hands latched onto Anwynn’s wrists and dragged her forward. She tripped over her own feet and stumbled into Fili’s back. He launched out a free hand to grab the front of her coat and held on, keeping her close as he tried to push off the Goblins. Eventually his grip was broken as more of the creatures came between them.

They were pushed and shoved along a long, rickety walkway that carried over onto multiple not-stable-at-all bridges. As hard as they struggled, the Goblins held on tighter and shoved them harder. They had just caught sight of a great, rugged throne carved into the side of a rock and a disgusting pile of flesh sitting upon it when the sounds began.

Horrible beating, thumping sounds were joined by screeching metallic bangs and rough horns, and what sounded like a far-off warbly organ. The sound sent a deep, cold fear into Anwynn’s very bones. Something about this distorted music filled her with dread and anxiety. It made her heart beat fast and her chest constrict, stole the breath from her lungs.

The disgusting pile of flesh on the throne hacked out a few coughs as he eyed the Dwarves being pushed forward. And then he began to sing.

_“Clap, snap, the black crack,_

_Grip, grab, pinch and nab—“_

The most horrible, mind-wrenching sounds Anwynn had ever heard. She was not the only one clutching at her ears. The Dwarves were still being shoved forward, but Fili shot out a hand again and grabbed Anwynn’s coat, struggling to pull her to him. He gently jerked on her arm, trying to pull her down.

“Bend your knees,” he whispered through barely-open lips as they were jostled around. “You’re too tall. You stand out.”

She bent like he said, trying to keep herself steady. Fili then gestured for her to bow her head.

 _Hide your face_ , Anwynn thought. _Don’t let them know you’re a woman._  So she lowered her head and let her hair hang, shielding her face as much as was possible.

Fili was forced to let go of her as a Goblin behind them roughly grabbed his head, forcing him to duck and stumble forward. Anwynn crouched further still and swiftly shuffled forward, avoiding this particular Goblin. By now, the Goblin King had just about finished his song.

_“Down, down, down,_

_In Goblin Town,”_

He sang out, flourishing the end with a twirl on his tip-toes that nearly took off their heads. It would have been hysterically funny if the whole situation were not absolutely terrifying.

“Catchy isn’t it?” he asked, taking his seat again. “It’s one of my own compositions.”

“That’s not a song,” spat Balin, “it’s an abomination!”

Anwynn had to agree.

Their noticeable weapons were quickly confiscated and thrown at the Goblin King’s feet as they were continuously manhandled by the grotesque creatures.

“Who would be so bold as to come armed into my kingdom?” thundered the Goblin King, eyeing them suspiciously. “Spies? Thieves? Assassins?”

“Dwarves, Your Malevolence,” piped up one entirely unhelpful Goblin from the front.

“Dwarves?”

“We found them on the front porch.”

“Well, don’t just stand there; search them!” the Goblin King cried out. “Every crack! Every crevice!”

And the Goblins set upon them for a second time. The Dwarves were jostled here and there, hands reached into every space they could find, pulling out and tossing away weapon after weapon. Three goblins set upon Anwynn, pawing her for hidden weapons and knocking her to the ground. She struggled, catching the two nearest with her fists but not deterring them in the slightest. She felt their combined weight crushing her, felt the air leave her lungs and the world grow dark…

Until out of nowhere, a gloved hand shot down and her coat was gripped for a third time, dragging her up. The Goblins fell off and made away with her weapons, adding them to the pile. The gloved hand brought Anwynn next to its owner and she found herself pressed tightly into Fili’s side. He stared straight ahead, glare never leaving the hideous king. Eventually the Goblin minions had taken every weapon that they could find and the majority retreated, leaving a few to guard their prisoners.

Looking at their great pile of apprehended weapons, the Dwarves realized just how much of a thief Nori truly was; he had somehow managed to haul away half of the Elven dining set from Rivendell! Anwynn saw Dori give his brother a hard stare that clearly read _If we get out of this, we are going to have a talk._

“What are you doing in these parts?” the Goblin King demanded.

Oin stepped up to speak for them. The Dwarves stared apprehensively; Oin was not exactly the most diplomatic of the group.

“No tricks,” said the Goblin King, hauling himself back onto his throne. “I want the truth, warts and all.”

“You’re going to have to speak up,” said Oin. “Your boys flattened ma trumpet.”

That was a mistake. There was a great ruckus from the Dwarves as they all reached forward to pull Oin away. Bofur hurriedly took his place.

“If it’s more information you want, I’m the one you should speak to,” he rushed out.

Bofur was good at speaking in circles and telling stories; maybe they would get out of this after all.

“We were on the road,” he started. “Well, it’s not so much a road as a path. Actually, it’s not even that, come to think of it. More like a track.”

And it had begun.

“Anyway, we were on this road like a path like a track…and then we weren’t.”

 _Wonderful story_ , Anwynn though, rolling her eyes.

“Which is a problem because we were supposed to be in Dunland last Tuesday.” Bofur looked around weakly for anyone to help him continue.

“Visiting distant relations!” supplied Dori.

“Some inbreds on me mother’s side,” agreed Bofur, nodding his head.

_We’re all going to die._

“SHUT UP!” screeched the Goblin King; clearly he had had enough of the story. “If they will not talk, we’ll make them squawk! Bring up the Mangler! Bring up the Bonebreaker!”

None of these sounded like very good options to Anwynn.

“Start with the youngest!”

Fili began to shove Anwynn behind him until they both realized that the Goblin King was pointing to Ori. There was a great rush to pull Ori back deeper into the fold as the Goblins grabbed at him.

“Wait!” cried Thorin, stepping forward.

The Goblin King eyed Thorin with momentary surprise, before remembering his sneering veneer.

“Well, well, well, look who it is,” he said derisively. “Thorin, son of Thrain, son of Thror, King Under the Mountain.” Here he made an elaborate, sarcastic bow that made Anwynn wish she had one of her daggers back. “Oh, but I’m forgetting, you don’t have a mountain. And you’re not a king. Which makes you nobody, really.”

Fili’s fist clenched and Anwynn gently covered it with her own hand.

“Easy,” she said, rubbing her thumb over the back of his hand in what she hoped was a soothing manner.

Fili did not take slights against his Uncle and King very well, but they all needed to remain calm; rash moves would not help them here.

As Fili settled, they heard snippets of conversation from the front.

“Azog the Defiler was destroyed,” Thorin was saying sternly. “He died in battle long ago.”

“So you think his defiling days are done, do you?” the Goblin King asked knowingly.

The Dwarves heard a terrible creaking coming from far off to their left and looked over. Being pulled slowly towards them was a horrible contraption, wooden with spikes and straps everywhere. Following it was another gruesome device with metal hooks.

The Mangler and the Bonebreaker.

The Goblin King became at once as giddy as a child with a toy and began to sing, much to everyone else’s displeasure.

_“Bones will be shattered, necks will be wrung—”_

As the torture equipment was being hauled over, the Goblin minions decided to go through their stash of purloined weapons and twice-pilfered Elf goods. They were just appreciating Balin’s mace when another Goblin picked up Thorin’s new prize, Orcrist, and tried to unsheathe it. He dropped it as if stung and yelped. All of the other Goblins scrambled to get as far away as they could.

“I know that sword!” exclaimed the Goblin King from where he had awkwardly perched on his throne to escape the weapon. “It is the Goblin-cleaver! The biter! The blade that sliced a thousand necks! Slash them! Beat them! Kill them!”

And at once the Dwarves were overrun by Goblins. They were everywhere, left and right, jumping on them from above. Anwynn watched Kili be thrown to the ground by his arm before something grabbed her feet and she met the floor as well. Hands were around her neck, squeezing. There were black spots throughout her vision and she could barely feel the whip flogging her legs. She was vaguely aware of someone calling her name frenziedly over and over, but could not focus enough to figure out whom. Everything seemed to be fading, and a buzzing filled her ears.

Suddenly, a blinding blue-white light appeared and the Goblins were forced back. The hands left her throat and the lashes at her legs stopped. She struggled to breathe again as color and sound rushed back to the world.

“Take up arms,” a gravelly voice called out. “Fight. Fight!”

And with that everyone was on their feet and a chain had been made to the weapons, throwing them back to their owners. The Dwarves set upon their attackers, hacking and slashing and bludgeoning. Ori proved he was not altogether hopeless when he took Dwalin’s war hammer and conked a few Goblins in the head.

Anwynn received her sword and immediately turned to stab the oncoming Goblins. She twirled and slashed and stabbed any within reach, not caring if they were completely dead or not. As the spare seconds came, she searched the pile for the smaller weapons and stuffed them into her pockets to be returned to their rightful owners later. Near her, Nori was gathering as much of the Elven goods as he could manage. When she raised her eyebrows at him, he simply shrugged his shoulders while reaching for a fork with one hand and stabbing an advancing Goblin with the other.

Fili fought his way over to her and shouted above the din.

“Alright?”

“Yes!” she shouted back. “Go!”

They both took off, swords whirling. Fili ducked and dodged, both hands flying with his double swords. Anwynn followed, stabbing all within reach.

“Follow me,” said Gandalf. “Quick!”

And all of the Dwarves took off after the wizard, running and fighting the remaining Goblins. Over bridges and around corners they went, attacking enemies that jumped out at them. Anything they could reach became an improvised weapon: bridges, railings, ladders.

 Anwynn watched Thorin twirl and slash at attacking Goblins and realized that apparently this was the signature Line of Durin move. Balin proved that the old warrior was still an expert warrior, and Ori continued to show promise by delivering effective blows to heads with the great war hammer. There was a moment where she almost stopped to laugh as she watched Oin twirl his long pike around and beam about twelve of the disgusting creatures in the head, knocking them off the platform.

Many times they were all separated but somehow managed to find one another again. Bridges were cut and left to swing; one time Fili barely made it onto a cliff and was only saved by Thorin’s quick hand. Bombur destroyed one bridge all on his own when dropped straight through the floor and down two levels to shake a few clingy creatures. They rolled a large rock down one path and flattened fifty or so Goblins. Just when they thought they were in the clear, the Goblin King burst through the floor of a bridge.

 _Funny_ , Anwynn thought as they all stumbled back a bit and then surged forward, _I was pretty sure Thorin had killed him already._

“What are you gonna do now, Wizard?” he sneered, looming down on them.

Gandalf slashed at his fat, grotesque belly in one swoop and brought him to his knees.

“…That’ll do it,” said the Goblin King, and with another slash at the neck underlying his massive goiter, he was dead on the bridge.

Which was a problem, since this was one of those not-stable-at-all bridges and deadweight tends to be a problem when you are hundreds of feet in the air and hanging by two strings and some wood. Not to mention the broken planks that the great fat thing had sprang up from, leaving a giant hole.

The ropes holding the bridge snapped and the Company found themselves plummeting towards the ground at a free-fall. Fili reached out to Anwynn and tucked her into him, but she was not so sure that would help anything this time. Everyone continued to scream as they fell, watching the walls blur by them and the ground draw quickly closer.

The sides of the bridge caught on the walls of the cavern, which slowed it down considerably. When they hit the ground, they did not die immediately as Anwynn had suspected they would. But they did hit rather hard. The breath was knocked out of her and she struggled to get it back. Fili grunted where he had landed next to her and refused to move.

Gandalf was out of the mess and on his feet before anyone could begin to untangle themselves. He reached his hand back into the pile and latched onto Anwynn, dragging her out.

“Ladies first,” he murmured, helping her to her feet. And not a moment too soon.

“Well, that could-a been worse,” said Bofur optimistically. Right before the dead Goblin King fell from wherever he had dislodged from and landed straight on top of them all.

“You’ve got to be joking me!” cried Dwalin in anguish, trying to push the wood off himself as the others groaned.

Suddenly they all heard a growing noise and Kili shouted.

“Gandalf!”

The horde of Goblins were _following them down the side of the bloody cavern!_

“How in the name of Durin?!” cried Anwynn, staring up.

“Only one thing will save us,” yelled Gandalf, “daylight! Come on!”

The Dwarves began to pull their companions out of the wreckage and run behind the wizard. Anwynn hurried to Kili and helped him haul Fili onto his feet. They all took off as soon as he was upright.

They ran and ran and suddenly, there was fresh air. And the yellow light of evening. They were saved! However, still keen to put as much distance between themselves and the Misty Mountains as they could, they continued to run down the mountainside.

Eventually they slowed down and began to feel how tired they actually were. Anwynn’s feet faltered for a fraction of a second and she found herself being supported by both Fili and Kili.

“Are you alright?” asked Fili more forcefully than he had in Goblin Town. “I saw them with their hands around your neck and you weren’t moving. I thought the worst had happened.”

“Fine now,” she replied. “Almost blacked out then, fine now. I suppose you were the one yelling my name?”

“Yeah. Scared me when you didn’t respond. Sure you’re okay? What about your leg?”

“I am. It’s okay, can’t feel a thing. You two?”

“Fine,” answered Fili.

“I’ve been grievously injured,” said Kili, holding up his finger with a dramatic flair. “I think I got a splinter from that ladder. Do you think I’ll live?”

Anwynn and Fili glared at him.

“Kiss it better?” he offered Anwynn with a grin.

“Shut it,” she muttered, slapping his hand away. “And I can walk on my own.”

They let her go and reunited with everyone further down where Gandalf was doing another head count.

“Where’s Bilbo?” he said. “Where is our Hobbit?”

Everyone looked around, Dwalin cursed him, and Dori denied any responsibility for him.

“I think I saw him slip away when they first collared us,” offered Nori.

Anwynn continued to scan farther up the mountainside, desperate for a glimpse of the Hobbit. She felt a horrible sense of guilt grip her; she had not noticed until this moment that Bilbo was even missing!

“We will not be seeing our Hobbit again,” Thorin spat out angrily. “He is long gone.”

As Fili and Kili looked at each other, Anwynn bowed her head. Could Bilbo really do that to them? Would he really run away when they needed help? Surely not. Not the nice little man who had given her tea to ease her stomach and sat listening to her stories by the fire when everyone else was busy at night. She knew he missed his home and its comforts, but would he really run when the rest of them were in danger? Or was he still trapped inside the mountain somewhere, at the mercy of the Goblins? Or worse, was he dead?

Out of nowhere, a voice came.

“No. He isn’t.”

It was Bilbo, standing in front of them, looking only slightly worse for wear. Most everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

“Bilbo,” breathed Kili happily, “we’d given you up!”

“How on earth did you get past the Goblins?” asked Fili, who had apparently been thinking along the same lines in Anwynn.

“Well, what does it matter?” interjected Gandalf rather quickly. “He’s back.”

“It matters,” insisted Thorin. “I want to know. Why did you come back?”

 _Leave it to Thorin_ , thought Anwynn. _Always suspicious. Just be happy we’re all alive, why don’t you?_

“I miss my books,” said Bilbo. “And my armchair, and my garden. See, that’s where I belong. That’s home. And that’s why I came back. Because you don’t have one; a home. It was taken from you. But I will help you take it back if I can.”

All of the Dwarves were silent. They let Bilbo’s words wash over them. Dwalin with his tattoos, Bombur and his massive belly, the thief Nori, little Ori and the lavender ribbons in his hair, and everyone else, all had a realization. This was not some great adventure they were going on for fun. They were not in it purely for the wealth at the end, or for their names to go down in history. They were on their way _home_. This would be where they would lay down stakes and bring their families over, _make_ families. A real, true _home_.

Fili glanced at Anwynn and took her hand gently in his. A home with a proper nursery and crib, a warm fireplace in a living room they could call their own, where their child could run around with handfuls of cookies from gullible uncles and nap on the sofa. They would not have to worry where their next job would come from or worry about wolves and Wargs attacking their little settlement. Anwynn squeezed back and they shared a quick smile.

The sound of howling interrupted their reverie. They all glanced up and fear caught them again. Wargs were running at them down the mountainside.

“Out of the frying pan,” growled Thorin.

“And into the fire,” finished Gandalf. “Run. Run!”


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Long-dead nemesis is not so long-dead, and Dwarves go tree-hopping and eagle-riding. And Anwynn starts to question things.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this is a bit late guys! I just started my student teaching Monday and we had a field trip first day back from winter break (during the afternoon, my teacher and I walked around and everyone asked us how our day went; we just said "field trip" and everyone nodded sympathetically). Between that and trying to get lessons planned and new daily schedules, I'm afraid everything else slipped my mind. But here it is! And only a few hours late...  
> Okay, here's the deal. This is the chapter where An Unexpected Journey ends, and sadly I have yet to get too far into Desolation of Smaug chapters to feel comfortable posting another chapter next week.  
> But but but!  
> I have written quite a few one-shots focusing on Fili and Anwynn and their backstories. Seriously, how does a Dwarf come to marry a Man? So I will be posting these one-shots as their own fics in the Dove and the Lion series until I have enough chapters written to continue this fic.
> 
> Tl;dr--Teacher stuff, and I've run out of chapters for this fic at the moment, so I'm going to post backstory fics once a week in place of chapter updates until I have enough chapters written to continue. So remember to keep up with the Dove and the Lion series to keep up to date!  
> Thanks for reading and enjoy!

Run.

That most certainly was what Anwynn was doing. Having almost lost her husband to stone giants, and outrun the entirety of Goblin Town through what she was sure was the whole damned length of the Misty Mountains, Anwynn now found herself running with the Dwarves away from her uncle-in-law’s long-dead enemy who, as it turned out, was not so long-dead.

 _Will we_ ever _get a bloody break?_ she thought  as she raced farther down the mountainside.

Wargs were descending, hot on their trail. Biblo actually managed to skewer one with his letter opener, while Ori further sharpened his skill with Dwalin’s warhammer.

Anwynn’s heart was beating like a drum and her lungs were on fire, but still she ran. However, the Dwarves in front of her were stopping short, and she soon found out why.

They had been cornered on a cliff. Any more steps and they would all surely plummet to their deaths.

“Up into the trees!” called Gandalf upon noticing their predicament. “All of you!”

She watched Bofur literally step on Dwalin to reach a branch, and poor Bombur threw himself into the air and hoped whatever he clung on to would hold him. Kili did some sort of acrobatic move Anwynn would never have thought him capable of, and then reach down to haul his brother into the tree. They both threw their arms down for Anwynn, who caught both of their hands in each of her own and awkwardly helped pull herself up with them.

From their perch in the tree, they saw the truly horrible scene unfold. Wargs everywhere, chasing their companions. The Orcs were still keeping their place, watching with cruel grins as the Dwarves were chased into trees. And there, in the middle of it all, was little Bilbo, trying to pull his stuck sword from the forehead of a dead Warg. He was a sitting duck.

“BILBO!” Anwynn yelled frantically, desperate to call her friend to the relative safety of the trees. “Bilbo, come on!”

The Hobbit gave one more pull and his sword came free. He looked around and, finding no one else still on the ground, panicked.

“Bilbo, climb!’ Anwynn shouted, her stomach in knots.

 She was about to lower herself from her limb to drag the daft Hobbit up herself when he finally found his wits and ran. Anwynn breathed a small sigh of relief, until the saw what the Wargs were now up to.

They charged the trees and jumped, biting and snapping. They champed down on the lower limbs and shook them for all they were worth, making the entire tree wobble. Anwynn only just snatched her foot up in time before it became a Warg snack, and both she and Fili shot out hands to grab Kili before he slipped from the tree.

Eventually the combined weight and force of the Wargs took its toll on the trees; the roots were dug up and they gave way, the trees falling over like dominos. Dwarves the falling tree ahead of them jumped over to their tree, and what it started to topple, they all made it over to the next one.

Anwynn and Kili just managed to grasp a branch on their way down, and Fili snagged each of their legs to keep himself up. He was heavy, but very quickly found a limb he could reach, and then climbed his way up to his wife and brother. Anwynn grabbed a hold of his coat, for what reason she had no idea; not like it would save him should he tumble. Above them, Bilbo suddenly slipped and would have hit several limbs on the way down had Fili not snatched him up quickly and set him on the nearest branch. The Hobbit wheezed out a very stressed thank you.

Now all thirteen Dwarves, the Man, the Hobbit, and the wizard were in the very last tree on the very edge of the cliff. The Wargs circled them. All seemed hopeless.

And then suddenly, the ground below them was on fire. Looking up, they saw that Gandalf had somehow lit pinecones on fire, and was lobbing them at the Wargs. He lit another one and dropped it down the tree.

“Fili!” he called, and Fili caught it. Catching on, Bilbo had plucked another pinecone from the tree and lit it with Fili’s, then both threw them at the Wargs below.

It was raining fire, and the Wargs were at their mercy. As their fur burned, their yelps became louder and more painful, and they began to retreat. The Dwarves began to cheer; maybe all was not lost just yet!

But then this last tree sanctuary gave a jolt, and it too fell under their weight.

The Company now found themselves dangling over the edge of the cliff, clinging to the branches of their fallen tree. Anwynn had a good hold of the limb she was dangling from, but any move could be her last.

 _Please, Mahal, Eru, any of the Valar who happen to be listening, please don’t let us die!_ she silently begged. _Or at least not like this, dangling of the side of a mountain like a couple of stuffed birds!_

Somewhere behind her, Dori and Ori were both yelling, but Anwynn could not turn around to see why. All she knew was that their screams were still very much right behind her so that had not fallen to their death yet.

Which was looking to be an imminent prospect for all of them very shortly.

Until suddenly, Thorin was on his feet, walking down the length of the tree. His eyes were fixed on Azog, and he was intent on defeating the Pale Orce once and for all. Thorin charged at the Orc, Orcrist raised high.

Azog and his Warg jumped into the air and hit Thorin full-force, knocking the Dwarf King to the ground. Thorin lay there for a moment, stunned, before he clambered back to his feet for a second attempt. This time Azog’s mace caught him square in the chest and he met the ground again, flat on his back. The white Warg set upon him, biting Thorin’s arm and trying to shred his armor.

His cries were heart wrenching to hear.

As Balin and Dwalin cried out for their friend and the rest of the Company tried to lift themselves up to stand, the burglar was already on his feet. Bilbo, face set and his own little sword drawn, charged to Thorin’s rescue.

As the Hobbit ran to face down the Orc, Fili, Kili, and Anwynn were all struggling to right themselves and help their Uncle. Kili threw his legs at the branch nearest him and managed to twist until he could roll himself onto the trunk, then he was up and after Bilbo.

Anwynn lifted one of Fili’s legs with her own until he was halfway onto the trunk and could stand on his own. He looked down at her for a second, struggling whether to help his wife up or go to his uncle’s aid. There was no question.

“Go!” Anwynn shouted, nodding towards the growing fight back on solid ground. “I’ll make it up on my own, go!”

Fili nodded and ran towards the fight, drawing both his swords.

Anwynn had been watching Kili as he swung himself up, and now she copied him, hooking her legs onto Fili’s vacated branch and rolling herself up. As soon as she was right-side up, she was off herself, running to the fray with the others.

Everywhere there were Wargs and Orcs. She slashed and stabbed, and even kicked and punched when she needed to. Over to her far left she could see Thorin, lying motionless on the ground; Bilbo had saved him from decapitation, but he was still in danger.

The fight continued, loud clashing noises, the pained wailings of injured Wargs and angry yells of Orcs. Metal on metal, metal through skin, hammers and bones crashing. And then there was a new sound.

Screeching, like birds.

Giant eagles were descending upon the fight, and Anwynn felt her stomach drop.

_Because Wargs and Orcs aren’t enough, now there’s giant birds as well? Are we truly going to die here?_

But then the eagles did something she did not expect; they began picking up Wargs and dropping them over the side of the cliff. They fanned the flames and turned trees over on the Orcs.

_They’re on our side! Maybe we will live after all!_

And she watched as one great eagle descended and, ever so gently, gather Thorin and Orcrist up in its claws, and took to the sky again. Immediately following that, the other eagles began scooping up the rest of the Company and taking off with them.

Anwynn felt a giant claw close around her and she was hoisted up in the air. From up here, she saw the destruction that had been caused and the damage inflicted; Orc and Wargs lay dead and dying below, while the Dwarves continued to fight on.

With no warning, she was suddenly dropped and felt the breath leave her as she plummeted, only to have a surprisingly soft impact on the back of another eagle. She had just had time to arrange herself on her knees when Bilbo landed in front of her, hollering his head off. She quickly gathered him to her, his back to her front, and kept him pinned there with an arm around his waist.

“I won’t let you fall, Master Baggins,” she said loudly over the din. “You won’t fall. I’ve got you.”

The Hobbit could not utter more than a whimper while nodding his head.

Anwynn was still scanning the ground below, and refused to feel relief until she had seen Fili, Kili, and the rest of the Company with the eagles. The knot in her stomach lessened when she saw both Fili and Kili be picked up simultaneously and then dropped onto the back of the same eagle. Once she saw that Bofur, the last Dwarf that had scrambled from the cliff and into the tree, had been snatched up, she let out the breath she did not know she had been holding.

Wherever they were headed for now, she did not care.

The eagles carried them a fair ways, and Anwynn found herself lulled by the gentle rise and fall of flight. Night passed and the sun rose, the new morning beautiful. She was still clutching Bilbo to her, and the Hobbit had not moved, still afraid of falling.

She looked out to see where all of her companions were; Bofur and Bifur were clinging onto the back of the eagle on their left, Bombur was being hauled by one not far behind, and Thorin was still unmoving in the grasp on the one in front of them. A voice cut the morning air.

“ _Thorin!_ ”

It was Fili, and Anwynn had never heard him sound so worried and vulnerable before.

 _I really do forget just how young he is sometimes,_ she thought. _He sounds far too young to be involved in all of this. He should still be at home, washing his mother’s dishes and keeping up with his studies. And then we’re going to bring a child into the world; is he even ready for that?...Am I?_

Her thoughts were interrupted as the eagle landed on top of a giant carrock and she and Bilbo dismounted. The Hobbit stayed put, but Anwynn ran to Fili and Kili who had also just landed, and they stood beside Thorin.

Gandalf seemed to be working some kind of magic, for Thorin finally opened his eyes. Beside her, she could feel both boys slump with relief.

“The Halfling?” Thorin murmured.

“It’s alright,” soothed Gandalf with a smile. “Bilbo is here. He’s quite safe.”

Thorin made a move to stand, and Kili and Dwalin were there in an instant, helping lift the Dwarf King. Thorin, pride attempting to recover, shook them off angrily.

“You!” he cried shortly, facing Bilbo. “What were you doing? You nearly got yourself killed!”

Bilbo, baffled, looked around for what to say.

“Did I not say that you would be a burden?” Thorin continued. “That you would not survive in the Wild? That you had no place amongst us?”

Behind Thorin, Fili was looking as confused as Bilbo and Kili was glaring daggers at his uncle. Anwynn had to agree.

 _Did he not_ see _what actually happened? Bilbo saved his_ life _, for Durin’s sake! Is he really going to be so pompous and arrogant to berate the Hobbit for coming to his rescue?_

“I have never been so wrong in all my life,” Thorin finished, and launched himself at the Halfling, enveloping him in a warm, grateful embrace.

_Oh. Well._

Behind them, the Company cheered and Anwynn felt Fili slip his arm around her waist and hold her to him. His other hand found its way to her belly, resting on it lightly. She pressed a kiss into his hair as they turned to watch the eagles go.

“Is that what I think it is?” Bilbo asked, and they all turned their attention forward again. In front of them, and far off into the distance, stood a single, solitary peak.

“Erebor,” said Gandalf, “the Lonely Mountain. The last of the great Dwarf kingdoms of Middle Earth.”

“Our home,” said Thorin with a warm smile.

Anwynn was amazed that Oin could hear the bird chirping through his flattened ear trumpet.

“A raven,” said the old Healer. “The birds are returning to the mountain.”

“That, my dear Oin,” said Gandalf, “is a thrush.”

“Well, we’ll take it as a sign,” said Thorin, smiling to Bilbo. “A good omen.”

“You’re right,” agreed Bilbo, returning the smile. “I do believe the worst is behind us.”

“I certainly hope so,” Anwynn whispered into Fili’s ear, nuzzling her nose in his hair.

Fili held her tighter to him. “So do I.”


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Company has escaped death (yet again) and are taking a small breather for the night on the Carrock.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I didn't forget! I just...fell asleep last night. It's been a rough week, but here's a new chapter.  
> Unfortunately, I have again run out of pre-written chapters and until I have the time to write more, there might be a very small, tiny, itty-bitty hiatus. I will pick back up, but it might take a week or two. Or three.  
> But there will be more!  
> Thank you for reading, and enjoy!

It was afternoon, but the Company was in no fit state to continue travelling for the day. They stayed right where the eagles left them, tending what needed to be tended to and resting. Oin had first checked on Thorin and applied to salve to his cuts and scrapes, telling him in no uncertain terms that he was ridiculously lucky to survive doing something so tremendously stupid. Thorin only nodded his head once before returning to gaze at the Lonely Mountain in the distance.

Fili next flagged down Oin and brought him over to look at Anwynn’s leg. Now that the immediate danger had passed, she realized exactly how painful it was.

“One of the Goblin whips got you good, looks like,” said Oin loudly, prodding Anwynn’s leg with his finger. “They’re not the cleanest of weapons, either. Best if I clean it out and then wrap it.”

He rummaged around in his pack for a moment before bringing out a bottle.

“This’ll sting a bit, but it’ll clean it out. Let me know if the pain becomes too much.”

He held down her leg and poured small drop onto the wound. Instantly it burned like a thousand Balrogs from the deepest of hells, and Anwynn shrieked. Oin, however, heard nothing and continued to watch the wound; his ear trumpet was off to the side with Kili who was attempting to pry it back open.

Eventually Oin was satisfied and applied a salve to the wound, then wrapped it.

“There ya are, lass,” he said, putting his things away as Anwynn rolled her trouser leg down, tears still in her eyes. “You should be right as rain again in no time.”

“Barmy old codger,” she whispered under her breath as she tugged her boot back on, glaring at Oin’s back as he walked off to check on the others.

“That’s not very polite,” Fili chuckled as he sat down beside her, giving her a grin. “He’s only looking after you.”

“His healing’s about as good as his divination,” she said, leg still smarting. “We should have three children by now, remember?”

Fili gave a pointed look at her middle and said with a smirk, “Maybe it’s triplets.”

“Hold your tongue,” Anwynn muttered, smacking his arm.

Fili grinned at her and threw an arm around her shoulder, pulling her to him. Anwynn fell against him with her own smile, laughing.

“Look at it,” said Fili, pointing out to the solitary peak on the horizon. “That’s it. That’s our home. We’re almost there!”

“Much closer than we were when we started, anyway,” replied Anwynn, looking out at the vast forest that lay before the mountain.

“We’ll have our own quarters in the mountain, some of the grandest for the Heroes of Erebor,” continued Fili. “Once we get things cleaned up a bit, though; it has been about a century since anyone inhabited it. But still, a place big enough to fill with those three dwarflings and then some.”

He pressed a kiss into her hair and held her tighter.

Anwynn, however, stiffened.

“What’s wrong?” Fili asked, giving her a concern look. “Does something hurt?”

“No, Fili,” she sighed, looking at the ground. The sound of his voice crying out for Thorin had struck a chord, and it was still affecting her. “Do you…do you think we’re ready for this?”

“Facing a dragon and reclaiming a mountain?” Fili scrunched his eyebrows. “Well, I doubt anyone would truly be _ready_ to face a dragon, but it’s what we have to do.”

“No, not that. This.” Anwynn waved a hand subtly to her middle. “A baby. Are we truly ready for that? I mean, we’re both so young. You’re so young.”

“What’s your point?” asked Fili, puzzled.

“Your kind, Dwarves, don’t generally have children until they’re almost a hundred,” said Anwynn, eyes still on the ground. “You’ve still got another twenty or so years before that. All I’m trying to say is…are you sure this is really what you want?”

She felt Fili grab her hand in one of his and use the other to tip her chin up.

“Look at me,” he said. “Let me see your eyes.”

She did, and he was staring at her with an intensity she had never seen in him before.

“Anwynn, I married you because I love you. I argued with my uncle, my king, to marry you. I threatened to run away with you and abandon my birthright as heir if I had to. If I fought that hard to be with you, do you not think that I would cherish a child that came from both of us? Yes, we are young and yes, it is a great responsibility. But we can do it, we can have a child and raise it.”

Now he held both of her hands in his.

“Yes, the taverns and drinking and rabblerousing are fun, but if I had to give them up for the baby, I wouldn’t miss them at all. I wouldn’t miss it, I promise you that. I’d have you and the baby to look after and care for, and that would mean more to me than any tankard of ale or night of fun with the boys.

“And yes, I may be a little younger than the average Dwarven father, but we have precious few years togeth—”

Fili stopped here, with his lips pursed, his throat caught. Anwynn squeezed his hands reassuringly, her own throat tight. He blinked a few times and swallowed, then continued with a slight tremble in his voice.

“I want as much time with you, with our family, as I can get. Yes, I am really, truly, absolutely ready for this child. One, two, or ten, it is definitely what I want. Is that enough of an answer for you?”

Anwynn burst into tears and threw herself into his arms, burying her head in his chest. Fili wrapped his arms around her and held her close, rubbing her back.

“Yes,” she finally whispered wetly, face pressed into his fur trim.

He held her for a little longer before pulling her away and tucking some of her disheveled hair behind her ear.

“Alright,” he said gently. “Enough of that. No more doubts, alright? Now, I see that Gloin has a fire going and Bombur has supper on. Let’s get ready to eat, yeah?”

Fili helped her up and they fetched their bowls from their packs, then joined Kili in the supper line.

“Hey, what’s wrong?” Kili asked the second he saw them. “You’ve been crying.”

“Nothing,” said Anwynn quickly. “Just my leg. Hurt like hell.”

 _Well, it’s not a complete lie,_ she thought. _The damn thing_ did _sting,_ thank you _Oin._

Kili gave her shoulder a sympathetic squeeze before stepping up to get his broth from Bombur.

They all sat down together and Fili once again tipped some of his food into Anwynn’s bowl. Anwynn only gave a long-suffering sigh; she was resigned to the fact that Fili would give up his food at this point. It was sweet, but she wanted him to eat as well.

After supper, the different families gathered together to pass the evening. Thorin joined Fili, Kili, and Anwynn, sitting on a rock while the younger three sat on the ground around him. They were all staring in the direction of Erebor, lost in their own thoughts when Thorin spoke.

“Did I ever tell you about the time your uncle and I told your mother there was a monster living in the mountain that stole little children’s toys?”

Fili and Kili looked at their uncle with wide eyes.

“No,” they both said eagerly. Anwynn grinned and settled in; this should be entertaining.

“Well, I was forty-three at the time, which would make her about twenty-nine—Anwynn, I think that would make us somewhere around ten and seven to your people—and Frerin was five years younger than me. And Dis was just about the most gullible thing under the Mountain. We told her stories and she would believe anything.

“Well, one night Frerin and I were up late, telling scary stories like young lads do at times, when she came into our room and demanded that we tell her one as well. Fili, you get your stubborn streak from your mother, I should mention. She refused to go to bed until we did. I thought for a moment and then worked up a tale I thought would do the job.

“I told her that there had been a Dwarf who had a penchant for shiny things, in particular little golden trinkets. Not long before, there had been an accident down in the casting chambers, and this Dwarf had fallen into the melted gold. The other workers had searched and searched for their comrade, but they had never found him. Not long after this had happened, there were whispers and strange stories going around Erebor about little children who had were missing toys. But these toys did not disappear without a trace; the children went to where they knew their toy to be last, but all they found was a big, golden, footprint. Like a calling card. It was rumored that the Dwarf who fell in had survived, and was now roaming the halls of Erebor by night, looking for children’s toys he could steal and dip in gold to add to his collection. No door, no lock could stop him. If he wanted your toy, he would get it.

“Dis went white as a sheet and ran from the room. Frerin and I laughed our heads off, and then went to bed. When we went to check on Dis the next morning, we found her huddled in bed with every toy she owned with the blankets pulled up and over her head. She beat both of us silly with her wooden sword when we told her it was only a story we made up.”

By now Thorin was grinning like mad and even chuckling. Fili and Kili were almost crying with laughter, and Anwynn was giggling. She could just picture Dis walloping Thorin with a sword, and it was truly hilarious.

Once they had all calmed down a bit, Thorin gave each of them an affectionate clap on the shoulder.

“Get some sleep my lads, my girl,” he said. “We start again early tomorrow.”

The three set out their bedrolls away from the edge of the carrock and laid down, looking up at the night sky.

“It’s nice, this,” said Kili. “Reminds me of the early days, when we first came down from the Blue Mountain. Before there were any Trolls or Goblins or bloody Orcs.”

“Aye, it is nice,” Fili remarked. “Look at those stars. Beautiful. Reminds me of the clear nights back home. Wasn’t it on a night like this when we met you?”

Anwynn snorted.

“No, love; the skies that night were filled with snow clouds,” she said. “That’s the reason you did meet me; my family got trapped in the snowstorm, remember?”

Fili just grinned and took her hand.

“We should sleep,” he said with a sigh. “No one got any rest on the backs of the eagles.”

“Yes,” Anwynn agreed. “Goodnight, boys.”

They all turned in for the night, and within no time Kili was snoring away. Fili turned into Anwynn’s back and circled an arm around her waist. He nuzzled his nose into her neck and with a quiet “I love you, both of you,” he was asleep. She dozed off soon after.

Hours later, they were all roused by the hustle and bustle of the Company. Anwynn slipped out from under Fili’s arm and stood up to help where she could. She would let Fili and Kili sleep as long as they could.

“Morning, lass,” said Oin as she walked over to the Company.

“Good morning, Oin,” Anwynn returned. “How did you sleep?”

“Yes, it is pretty steep,” the Healer replied. “A fair few steps down, it looks like. How’s that leg?”

He started to walk over to her.

“Fine!” she insisted hurriedly. “Fine! Absolutely fine! Right as rain, never felt better! I think I’d better help Bofur with breakfast, excuse me.”

And she dashed away.

_No more stinging stuff. No more stinging stuff. No way, no how._

“Well lass, what’s the hurry?” Bofur greeted her with a smile as she hurried over to him.

“No more stinging stuff—I mean, I thought I’d help you with breakfast.”

Bofur chuckled and passed her one of the food bags.

“Nothing much this morning, just some bread,” he said. “Thorin wants to get going soon as we can, so it’s a quick thing this morning.”

“Shouldn’t take too long then. I’ll just go give everyone their share. But here—you could take Oin’s and Gloin’s to them,” she finished hopefully.

Bofur laughed but took pity on her and did as she asked.

Anwynn made her way around the camp, handing out bread to everyone. Balin squeezed her hand when he received his and Dwalin clapped her on the back so hard she almost fell over. Thorin caught her and set her right, and in return she handed him breakfast. Bifur and Bombur took theirs with nods, albeit the former’s was rather sideways. Then she reached Dori, Nori, and Ori.

“Oh, Ori, I forgot,” she said once they had their bread. She reached into one of her pockets and pulled out Ori’s slingshot. “I meant to give this to you earlier. Picked it up from the pile along with mine and Fili’s things. Here you go.” And she handed it to him. “Although I think you were quite handy with that war hammer.”

Ori smiled and tucked his slingshot away.

Finally it was time to wake her sleepyheads.

“Oi, up you get,” she said, nudging Kili gently with her toe. “I brought food.”

Kili rolled over at the promise of food, but when he saw it was only bread, he narrowed his eyes and rolled back over. Anwynn sighed and left his share balanced on his head.

“Fili,” she called, shaking him gently. “Wake up, my love. We need to eat and then get going.”

Fili cracked open an eye, then shut it and shook his head. So Anwynn shoved his share in his mouth and then sat down to eat her own.

There is only so far she is willing to coddle in the morning.

Both boys eventually sat up and munched on their bread before helping in breaking down the camp and getting ready to leave.

Eventually everything was packed away, and they were ready to take off. Anwynn eyed the hundreds of stairs warily, but started down them with everyone else.

_Here we go, off again._


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Company meets Beorn. In the most terrifying way imaginable. Poor Anwynn is on the verge of a nervous breakdown at this point.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm back! I am so sorry about taking so long to update. I meant to update a lot sooner, but life happened. But good news, I graduated! Now I start the job hunt. Bad news, I think I'm fighting a battle with depression and it's kicking me pretty hard at the moment. I'm sure everything will work out in the end, but just know that updates won't be very regular between that and job hunting/working.
> 
> To those who have stuck around and are reading this update, thank you for still being interested! For any who may have been interested and are giving this story a try for the first time, welcome and thank you!
> 
> I will update again soon, but I can't say exactly when. Stay tuned!
> 
> One last side note, while I loved Desolation of Smaug, there was quite a bit I did not exactly agree with, so you will notice a change between the movie and what I write starting in this chapter.

Chapter Ten

_Step. Step. Step. Step. Step._

It was endless. From the top, the staircase looked formidable. While actually on the staircase, it was never ending. And rather narrow; poor Bombur had to go down sideways lest he topple right off the side. Anwynn had taken to making a chain with the boys for something to hold on to; one hand on Fili’s hood and the other latched onto the front of Kili’s coat. They were not the most stable things, but it was better than holding onto nothing.

After what had to have been hours, they finally reached the bottom. They all gathered around the base of the stairs and looked around, trying to find their bearings.

“We saw the Mountain over there,” said Balin. “I believe that would be the best way to travel. Carry on until we meet something in our way and then find a way around it.”

This sounded as good a plan as any, so the Company headed off in the general direction of the Lonely Mountain.

They walked on for an hour or so and were in the middle of another grassland. However, on a large hill, they could look out and see the edge of a forest not so far off. This was apparently the next territory they were to traverse.

As they trudged on, they all made conversation with one another. Dwalin and Gloin were discussing where the next opportunity might arise for them to sharpen their axes (and clean the Goblin blood from them), Dori was giving Nori that promised talking-to about stealing (“The example it sets for Ori! You’d do good to think about him once in a while as you’re pilfering someone else’s possessions!”), and Bifur and Oin were talking about…something; it was hard to tell, as both were using Iglishmek; this made it a hell of a lot easier to speak with Oin since his eyes were much better than his ears.

As usual, Fili, Kili, and Anwynn were walking together near the middle of the Company.

“How’s your leg today?” Kili asked Anwynn, pointing.

“It’s fine, actually,” she said. “Doesn’t hurt at all when I walk, really. Only stings a bit when—OWW!”

She screeched as Kili bent down and gave her leg a gentle prod. He flew back up, a guilty grimace on his face.

“Sorry!” he cried, shoving his hands behind his back.

Anwynn stood still for a moment, holding her breath and waiting for the pain to dissipate.

“It only stings,” she said slowly, exhaling, “when I _touch it_.”

“Sorry!” Kili said again. “I only wanted to see if it was alright.”

“I’m sure it will be if we all _leave it alone_ ,” said Fili, narrowing his eyes at his brother for a moment. “Here; let’s switch sides. Best not risk it again.”

The brothers switched, and Anwynn started moving again. She noticed Kili’s head turned down a little and reached out to give his hand a small squeeze.

“Cheer up, my puppy,” she said, giving him a smile. “All is fine.”

Kili returned a grin and squeezed back.

“Hey, look up there,” Anwynn whispered to the other two. “Bilbo and Thorin are actually talking.”

Bilbo was indeed talking and Thorin had his head turned to the burglar, nodding every once in a while.

“Yeah, and it looks like they’re have a real conversation,” said Fili.

“I suppose saving your life does have a tendency to make you like someone,” Kili mused.

“I’m just happy Thorin seems to be bringing him into the fold,” Anwynn said. “Poor little man has been scurrying about on the outskirts since we left his Shire. You never truly feel like you belong until the leader takes you in.”

“What do you reckon they’re talking about?” Fili asked.

“Probably how much cinnamon is just right for a pumpkin pie,” Kili chuckled. “Mmm, pie.”

“Kili,” Fili and Anwynn both sighed in a very exasperated manner. But both ruffled his hair nonetheless.

It was a leisurely stroll compared to the previous forty-eight hours they had had. Almost die because Stone Giants felt like having a spar, fall hundreds of feet and be attacked by ruddy Goblins, fall some more and almost be crushed by the fattest Goblin to ever exist _ever_ , run from Wargs (again), go tree-hopping, battle and escape long-dead enemies _not_ so long-dead, and then drop onto the back of a giant eagle mid-flight. Simply walking along was downright relaxing compared to everything else they had been through.

So _of course_ it had to get worse.

It was nearing dusk when Bilbo’s sharp ears caught the sound first.

“Shhh, everyone, shhhhh!” he called, trying to quiet everyone but failing.

Thorin saw the Hobbit struggling and came to the rescue.

“ _Silence!_ ” he roared, and everyone immediately fell quiet. He looked back at the Hobbit. “Bilbo, what is it?”

“I—I thought I heard something,” Bilbo said, looking at Thorin nervously, but his face was firm. “Listen.”

And they all heard it.

“ _Aaahwoooooo!”_

It was far-off, but they all recognized that sound: Wargs.

“Not again,” Anwynn whispered. Fili took her hand and ran a thumb over the back, then holding tightly.

“Here,” said Gandalf, leading them to a nearby rock they could all take shelter behind.

“Is it Azog?” Thorin growled. “Is he still chasing us?”

“I’m not sure,” said Gandalf. “But probably.”

 _Comforting, thanks_ , thought Anwynn.

“Bilbo, time to practice your burglaring, I think” the wizard continued. “There is a hill just over there. You can sneak up it and have a look around at everything. You should be able to see quite a ways from up there. Come back and tell us what you see.”

Bilbo looked like he wanted to protest, but Thorin set his eyes on him and he faltered. With only a small whimper, he agreed and snuck off to the hill.

As the rest of the Company waited behind the rock, Fili, Kili, and Anwynn all huddled together.

“More Wargs?” Anwynn whispered, outraged. “Because I guess we haven’t quite reached our Very Bad Things quota for this week yet. Seriously?!”

“Calm down,” said Fili gently, back to rubbing her hand. “You’ll work yourself up.”

“In case you haven’t noticed, there are more horrible things out there that want to _kill_ us; of course I’m worked up!”

“Yes, but you shouldn’t be,” said Fili with deliberate slowness. “It’s not good for you.” He raised an eyebrow and his eyes drifted to her middle.

_Oh, right. No, it’s probably not very good, is it? But then again, neither is getting my head whacked off!_

Still, she tried to slow her breathing and calm down all the same. Next to her, Kili was looking at them very oddly. His brows were narrowed in confusion, like there was something afoot that he could not place. He opened his mouth to say something, but just then they heard their burglar returning.

Bilbo was running at them full speed, arms waving frantically. When he finally reached them, he bent over with his hands on his knees and tried to catch his breath.

 “How close is the pack?” asked Dwalin.

“Too close,” said Bilbo. “A couple of leagues, no more. But that’s not the worst of it—”

“Have the Wargs picked up our scent?” Dwalin questioned.

“Not yet, but they will,” Bilbo assured. “But we have another problem—”

“They saw you?” Gandalf asked, surprised.

“No, that’s not it,” said Bilbo, trying again to deliver his full report.

“What did I tell you?” perked Gandalf proudly. “Quiet as a mouse! Excellent Burglar material!”

The Company gave a happy murmur of agreement, but Bilbo had had enough.

“Will you all just listen?” he cried, actually stomping his large foot. “I’m trying to tell you there’s something else out there!”

“What form did it take?” Gandalf asked hurriedly. “Like a bear?”

 _That’s oddly specific,_ thought Anwynn. _We haven’t seen hide nor hair of a bear for weeks now, why would we suddenly run into one—_

“Yes! But bigger! _Much bigger!_ ”

_Oh. Well. Nevermind then._

“What do we do now?” Fili asked his Uncle.

“I say we double back,” called out Bofur.

“And be run down by a pack of Orcs?” reminded Thorin.

Anwynn was once again seized by an anxious panic that settled into her chest and belly. She had a fleeting thought that she might as well get used to it, since it seemed the feeling would never really have a chance to go away.

“There is a house,” said Gandalf suddenly, “not far from here where we might take refuge.”

“Might?” Anwynn repeated.

“Whose house?” questioned Thorin. “Are they friend or foe?”

“Neither,” the wizard replied. “He will either help us, or he will kill us.”

“What choice do we have?” Thorin inquired, just as a loud roar filled their ears.

“None.”

Thorin looked at the rest of the Company. They nodded, and then he nodded.

“Run!”

And run they did. Which attracted the attention of their pursuers and had them hot on their trail. The Company, however, had a bit of a head start and were able to keep a fair bit ahead of the Orcs and Wargs. Gandalf led them this way and that, dodging around more rocks and hills, zigzagging here and there.

Anwynn could feel her legs seizing up; she had not run this much in a very long time, and had not had a chance to fully recover from the days before. With each step she felt her legs refusing to cooperate more and more. She had a stitch in her chest and breathing was becoming more difficult. Her lungs were on fire, and she lifted a hand to her chest in an attempt to massage them even as she ran. But still she kept going. The yells and howls behind her were great motivation to not stop.

Fili must have noticed she was starting to lag behind, because he grabbed her hand and tried to pull her along behind him. His grip was tight as he urged her on. Anwynn could see the tension on his face; his lips were set in a firm, grim line and he stared straight ahead. She forced herself not to look behind them.

“Quickly, this way!” they heard Gandalf call from somewhere in front of them, and the two of them follow the others. They are headed for the forest they had been edging towards all day. Through the ring of trees, and suddenly they were in a clearing. Ahead of them was a large wooden house, and at that moment it looked like paradise.

They heard the yells and growls behind them turn to cries and shrieks, and looking back, they saw that their pursuers had disappeared. The Company slowed, not quite daring to believe this fortunate turn of events.

Suddenly, through the trees burst the biggest _bear_ any of them had ever seen. It was growling and snarling, teeth bared and drooling. And then it took off, full force, towards them.

As one, the Company bolted forward again, eager to put as much distance between them and that _thing_ as possible. The stitch in Anwynn’s chest suddenly was not too pressing, and she was rocketing forward, only to be outstripped by someone else.

She had to do a double-take.

_Bombur???_

Yes, their beloved overweight cook had apparently convinced himself he was light as a feather and was shooting ahead of all of them, closing in on the door of the house.

The gigantic bear was even better motivation than the Orcs and Wargs.

Bombur reached the door first. Actually, he ran full-speed into it, and was then trampled by the rest of the Dwarves as they ran into it as well. Anwynn was caught somewhere in the middle, and while the press of bodies around her should worry her, the fear for her life drove everything from her mind.

The Dwarves fumbled with the door uselessly, looking over their shoulders at the huge monster bounding towards them. Fili and Kili pounded pointlessly on the door and everyone was yelling and Anwynn could not hear herself think and that bear was almost on them—

Thorin came from out of nowhere and did what none of the others could do in their terror; lift the bar locking the door. The doors opened and they rushed in, Gandalf coming in last and not a moment too soon; right as his grey robes cleared the opening, all of the Dwarves threw their weight into closing the door. Before they could shove it shut, however, the great bear pushed his snout through and roared at them with gnashing teeth.

The Dwarves shouted and shoved, and Bilbo had drawn his little sword for all the good that it would do him. Anwynn joined in and found a spot next to Bofur, shoving her shoulder into the door. The door pushed back and she almost stumbled to the floor, but caught herself and rammed back into the it. Finally, with an almighty shove from Dwalin, they managed to close the doors and bar it, keeping the giant beast out once and for all.

Bofur stepped away and scratched his head under his hat.

“Well, that could-a been—”

“NO!” shouted Anwynn. “DON’T EVEN SAY IT!” The terror was dying away now, leaving a nervous anger behind it. “No more ‘it could have been worse;’ no ‘the worst is behind us;’ nothing! Because when we say that, it always gets worse! Not a word!”

She stared around at her companions as they all stared at her in shock; no one had ever heard her yell like that.

Fili came forward and gingerly took her arm, pulling her out of the way.

“Alright,” he said gently. “Alright, we won’t.”

Anwynn nodded, and then began to uncontrollably shake with delayed fright and exhaustion. Fili put a comforting arm around her waist and she sagged against him.

Ori broke the silence.

“What is that?” he asked, gesturing to the door.

“That is our host,” said Gandalf gravely. “His name is Beorn. He’s a skin-changer.”

Really, Anwynn should feel some sort of surprise or dread at this admission, but she could not find it in her to feel anything at that moment.

“Sometimes he’s a huge black bear,” Gandalf continued. “Sometimes he’s a great strong man. The bear is unpredictable, but the man can be reasoned with. However, he is not over-fond of Dwarves.”

 _Of course not. Because why would things ever be easy for us?_ Anwynn thought ruefully.

Gandalf ordered them all to find a place to lie down and get some sleep. Anwynn did not need to be told twice. She found a spot in some soft hay off to the side and lay down, without waiting for Fili or Kili. She felt the hay on either side of her shift and knew they had joined her wordlessly. The last memory she had before she fell to sleep was a blanket being draped over her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> One last thing, guys. While I was browsing through some other stories, trying to find a new obsession until my other three update, I stumbled over one that caught my interest. I started to read it, and came across a chapter that seemed to resemble the 'verse that I'm currently writing, including mirroring some of the wording that I have used.
> 
> I love that people actually like what I write. And I love it even more if it inspires someone else to write. However, try to change a few things so it doesn't sound exactly like someone else's. That way no one gets their feathers ruffled. ^_^


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